Curiosity Killed The Cat
by Justgabbe
Summary: Moving is the worst; new place, new city, new school, new friends. But the worst part is that stereotypical serious and mysterious beyblader you can't get off your mind. Seriously, what are you doing ? What are you DOING ? A story where YOU are the main character ! KaixReader
1. Chapter 1

Hello all ! Thank you very much for viewing this fanfiction, it's very appreciated. :)

To put you in context, this is a story I wrote almost 10 years ago when I was a wee pre-teen. I stumbled upon it while cleaning my parent's attic and I couldn't help but remember all the fond memories revolving around Beyblade. Heck, I even rewatched the show for fun for old-time sake. I was joking with a friend about it but she seemed to like this story and encouraged me to share it with the world. So, here it is !

I'm slowly editing my young self as I post this story, so please be patient with me. This fic is in a characterxreader format.

 **DISCLAIMER** : I don't own Beyblade.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

-Justgabbe

* * *

''We're moving!?''

I knew something was up ever since I got back home from school. Both my parents were at home when I arrived, which is a miracle, given their hectic jobs. Mom was calmly making dinner while Dad was peacefully watching TV. Mom is usually still at work at this hour, only to be back when the sun sets. Dad travels a lot, rarely seeing him. He shows up once in a while to take a break from work.

''Wow! What are you guys doing here so early?'' I asked curiously.

'' Hi honey bunny! Glad your home! How was school?'' Mom called out from the kitchen.

''It was school,'' I answered blandly

''Now Honey,'' My Dad started '' high school is the best time of your life! ''

''I guess it's cool if you leave out the classes, the exams, and homework,'' I said.

They completely ignored my question until dinner was finally served. They did everything to avoid the subject up until now.

'' Yes honey… Your dad found a new job! He's going to be able to spend more time with us''

'' Yeah baby,'' my dad continued ''I'll be working for this new firm in Bey city. The hours are more flexible…I'll be home every night!''

''Bey city?!'' I exclaimed ''that's totally at the end of the universe!'' I'm probably exaggerating, but it's still on the other side of the country.

''Oh hush! You should be happy! We'll be spending more time together as a family… Isn't that what you always wanted? '' Mom asked

''I mean, yeah, but this is my last year! I'm going to have to leave all my friends… All my extracurricular activities… My whole life is here!''

''Oh baby, you're so young! You'll find new friends, new activities and new fun stuff to do in Bey City. I just know you will! '' Dad said enthusiastically, trying to cheer me up.

This is going to be such a pain in the ass. Changing cities and schools… Having to adapt and getting over the sadness of leaving everything you know behind.

'' Just think of it this way,'' Mom said ''it's a brand new adventure! ''

''Hooray…'' I said sarcastically, playing with my food. I'm already dreading this move.


	2. Chapter 2

Bey City is nice, I guess. It's your stereotypical big city. Busy, crowded and fast-paced. My parents decided to move into a condo in the middle of the city, so that Dad can be close to work and that we can be close to everything convenient. Heck, we lived close to a metro station, which is cool to get around the city.

Our new place is nice too. It's really different from the old house we had. It was smaller but more spacious since it was an open-air concept. We had 2 baths, 3 bedrooms, open kitchen and living room. It was very modern and minimalistic, very city like. My bedroom was a lot bigger here too, so I guess I can't complain.

My parents went all out for this move. They bought new furniture, new appliances, and new decoration… They weren't kidding about a new adventure. It almost felt like an HGTV show. But they were happy, and that's what mattered. Even though they've been married for a long time, they almost never had time to be together until now. I can see why they were so happy about moving. I wish I felt the same about it…

Moving right before my last year of high school is truly horrible. I'll be a total outsider at my new school. No friends, no experience, no knowledge of the place… Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

My parents did take extra careful measures to find me a new school. They narrowed it down to this private school in a rich neighborhood in the city.

'' Are you guys sure you want me to go there? '' I asked, worried about the cost of tuition.

'' Oh honey! Don't worry! We want you to be happy here! This school is great, you should see it! '' Mom said.

''It's one of the best schools in the country, baby,'' Dad continued '' they have a good curriculum and have tons of extracurricular activities.''

''And they have this adorable uniform!'' Mom added.

I guess she's right. The rich emerald blazer with red trimmings and gray skirt with the matching red ribbon are a pretty good color theme. It also came with a cardigan the same color as the blazer. I feel like this will be my favorite item of the bunch.

When it was time for me to go to school, I was surprised how easy the commute was from my place to school. 6 metro stations away. As I walked out of the stations, large cherry blossoms frame the wide street. Students with the same uniform as I'm wearing were all heading in one direction. They all look so posh, wearing fashionable shoes and with matching designer bags as school bags. They also have the same snooty rich kid look on their faces. It was no mistake; I was going to attend the same school as them. I feel like I'm already standing out. Yes, I'm neatly dressed and I'm clean, but they just look so radiant compared to me. I can feel that I just scream ''commoner''. Following the crowd of students, I stand tall, walking as confidently as possible.

The path leads to a beautiful silver front gate, followed by an equally beautiful courtyard, leading straight to the entrance of the school. The school is gorgeous and grand; it looks like an old Victorian mansion, the stone wonderfully polished and the windows large and wide. Mixing in with the mass, I quietly enter the school and start looking for the reception. The foyer was just as grand; there was a huge staircase, followed by 2 different paths to lead to 2 wings of the building. There are also stairs leading downstairs. Off to the right side, I can see a glass room that looks like some sort of reception, showing a desk and many students inside, speaking with the staff, I presume.

I enter the room, sounding a bell attached to the door. As the sound resonates, an elderly lady at the desk looks to me and greets me.

'' Hum, yeah Hi! I'm a new student here… I'm not sure where to go or where to start?''

''No worries my dear,'' she said in a soft tone '' just take a seat in the sitting room and I'll ring up your new homeroom teacher.'' She picked up the phone, dialing a code while she waved her hand showing me where the sitting room.

I went to sit down in the adjacent room where there are plush armchairs and magnificent chandelier. There are also different photos throughout the years of the school. I studied them as I waited for my teacher.

''Hello,'' A deep voiced called out.

A man greeted me inside the room. He is tall, has light hair and has quirky small round glasses.

'' My name is Professor Aberdeen, how are you? '' his hand reached out to take mine.

'' I'm fine, thank you'' I accept and return his handshake.

''Well, I'm very surprised about all of this. It's rare for this school to have a transfer student''.

'' Well, things happen I guess''.

''You're right,'' he answered ''let us go to class. Everyone is very excited to meet you. Like I said, this is a very rare occasion for all of us''.

Yeah… Sure they are…

We walk up that grand staircase, through many corridors before arriving in front of the class. As Prof. Aberdeen opens the doors, I can hear the scraping of chairs of students getting up. As we walk in, they're all standing straight and poised, looking right at me.

''Thank you for your patience, class,'' Prof Aberdeen started ''as I said, this is your new classmate who just transferred. Please, make her feel welcomed and treat her well.''

''Thank you, I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and to discover this school'' I said shyly to the class in front of me.

''Now, where to sit you down…'' the Prof wondered, looking out into the room.

He spotted an empty desk beside a young man on the far right side of the class, who has a very stoic and serious look on his face.

''Ah! I think I'll sit you beside Mr. Hiwatari. He's been alone in that corner for long enough! Go ahead, make yourself at home. ''

I slowly, but confidently walk down the aisle of students, receiving different sort of looks from them. As I reach my new seat, the boy looked quickly towards me from the side but said nothing, still serious.

''Alright everyone, we can sit down and starts today's lesson.''

In unison, everyone sits down. I try to be as fast as them, but the sound of my chair is clearly off compared to the others.

''Oh, if you don't mind Mr. Hiwatari, would you mind showing your new comrade around school today during breaks?'' The teacher asked before turning to the board.

I earn another sideway glance from said guy, but nothing is said.

The bell rings through the building as the first period ends. As I was writing a due date for an assignment in my planner, I turn towards my new classmate to see what he had planned for me for visiting the school.

Alas, I think he doesn't give a shit about the teachers' request because all he does is get up from his chair and leaves the class swiftly, not even giving me a glance.

''Yeah, sure'' I whisper in a harsh tone, staring down the door he went through ''just ignore the new kid, leave them to fend for themselves''.

''Don't mind him! He's like that to everyone.'' A soft, deep voice said

I look to my right and find a tall, lanky boy turned towards me. He has the desk to my right. He has light orange hair, with tiny little freckles on his face.

''I guess that's what happens when you're a Beyblade champion'' He added, grinning sweetly at me

'' A Beyblade champion?''

''What? You don't know? That's Kai Hiwatari! He's the 2nd best blader in the World!'' He almost screamed, surprised that I didn't know who my desk buddy was.

''Ehhh, sorry… I don't know much about Beyblade and all that stuff.'' It's true. I don't follow the sport at all, so I have no idea what it is. I know it's about battling spinning tops, but that's about it.

''Yikes! Well, you're in Bey City now; you'll have to get used to it. This is the home of the BBA, of Beyblade itself.'' He said, almost scowling me.

'' Haha I guess…''

''By the way, my name is Simon,'' he introduced himself ''and welcome to our school. If you'd like, I can show you around instead''.

'That would be great, thanks.''

The next 2 periods flew by pretty quickly. And in between the two, Simon got the chance to show me where the cafeteria, the library, the gyms and the theater were. All the while, this Kai guy still hadn't acknowledged me.

''So, does he ever talk?'' I ask Simon about Kai over lunch at the cafeteria.

'' Yeah, he talks, just rarely. He's the quiet mysterious type.'' He picked at his food, looking bored.

'' Obviously.''

''He's really popular. For his title and his looks. '' He looked up.

''Yeah, I imagine that he has tons of fangirls.''

'' Ha! There's a Kai Hiwatari fan club at this school'' He said rolling his eyes, discouraged about it.

''No way!''

''Way… I'm surprised they haven't approached you yet. They're probably going to bombard you with threats…'' He dropped his fork and started to imitate one of the said fangirls in a mock high pitch voice ' _'Hey you, new kid! Don't get close to our man, he's ours!''_

''Nice one, Simon! You could pass for one of them!'' A boy's voice called out behind me.

A tall strong built guy with dark skin and dark hair came up to us and sat beside me.

''Say's the one who's actually a huge fan of the said guy '' Simon replied to the other, snickering.

''Shut up, dude! All beybladers look up to Kai. He's one of the best, after all.'' The guy exclaimed proudly '' By the way, who's that? '' He added, looking at me.

'' New transfer student. She's in my class. She sits beside Kai in class. '' Simon answered.

''Seriously? Lucky! Kai's cool, right? '' The newcomer asked me,

''He's alright, I guess? I just met him.'' I answer hesitantly, not wanting to offend anyone.

''That's my friend Aiden, by the way, '' Simon said, mentioning towards the newcomer '' he's in another class and as you can tell, he's a huge fan of Kai Hiwatari.''

''Sorry, that was rude of me, '' Aiden holds out his hand for me to shake, smiling ''nice to me you.''

'' Nice to meet you too.'' I shake his hand, returning his smile.

''Yeah, I'm a fan of his,'' Aiden started ''I'm a beyblader myself and I can only dream of having ½ of his skill and talent… I can only look up to him.''

''Here we go again…'' Simon rolled his eyes

'' I dream of battling him one day… But alas! He doesn't blade anymore!'' Aiden exclaimed dramatically.

''Why's that? '' I asked Aiden curiously, genuinely interested in his story.

''He quit beyblading after his last battle with Brooklyn from BEGA!''

''What?'' I'm officially confused.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch.

'' Don't worry,'' said Simon, getting up from his seat, retrieving his tray '' It's a Beyblade thing. You don't have to understand.''

Sure, I don't have to understand, but I can't help to be curious about it.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days at this new school we're peaceful. I can officially call Simon and Aiden my new friends. They showed me all around school and telling all about its history and its anecdotes and traditions.

Aiden was also glad to tell me all about Beyblade after that conversation we had at the cafeteria on the first day since I was ''missing out'' according to him. He told me how it works and what are the rules. He even had a demonstration for me, showing me his beyblade and his skills.

''Hey! You should totally come and check out the Beyblade Club, and then you can see some real action. '' Aiden suggested to me one day

All three of us were sitting under a tree in the courtyard. We had just eaten lunch and now we were just hanging around for the rest of the break and enjoying the nice weather.

'' Aiden, I don't think she's interested. You probably annoy her with all of this.'' Simon told him, seeing that he was clearly annoyed himself as he leaned against the tree

''No, I don't mind,'' I answered '' It's amazing to see someone so passionate about something. It's inspiring.''

''Great, '' Aiden smiled brightly '' you can come see us after school today if you want. We always practice at Gym B Tuesdays and Thursdays''.

The bell rang throughout campus. We all got up and went back to class for the time being.

* * *

Aiden's practice match with his Beyblade club was pretty fun. I found out that he's actually the president and I can see why; he's passionate, helpful and dedicated to everyone and the game itself. I had lots of fun talking to everyone there and learning more about Beyblade. I already knew from the first day Aiden told me about it that I wouldn't play, but I was still interested in it.

It was already around 5pm when I left Gym B. I was walking on campus, heading towards the gate when I heard a faint sound. Sensing that it was coming from the small patch of forest beside the courtyard, I follow the sound carefully.

And behold, wonderful sight graced my eyes: It was a cat with her litter of kittens nursing, lying under a tree in a cardboard box, filled with blankets. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life.

''Hi there,'' I say calmly, walking towards the family crouched down, not to scare them.

The cat looked up from her nursing kittens and meowed at me, not feeling disturbed or in danger. She looked up to me with big sweet eyes; you can see that she's used to humans. I inch forward slowly and calmly, finally at arms length from her. I hold out my hand slowly for her to smell, and then she caresses it, acknowledging me and accepting my presence.

''Hi Momma, '' I tell her, scratching under her chin ''Is someone taking care of you here? You are such a sweetie letting me pet you. Such a good girl.''

I spot 2 plastic bowls beside the box, one was empty and another had leftover cat kibble.

''Are you thirsty? I can give water if you want.'' I slowly reach into my school bag for my water bottle and pour most of it in the empty bowl. The cat meowed at me again, as if thanking me.

'' Now, what are you doing alone here? Poor thing… You and your babies must get cold at night… And what happens if it rains? '' I was talking to myself, worried over the well-being of these cats.

Suddenly, the cat heard a noise, looking towards its source, and then she abruptly got up. I look to the same direction as her, waiting to see what will happen. She left her kittens behind to greet a new guest, who was none other than Kai Hiwatari.

She meows happily, rubbing herself on his legs. In his hands, there were a can of tuna and a bottle of water. He stares at me, slightly wider than usual, almost saying how surprised he is to see me here. I also stare back at him; I'm surprised too, expecting him to be the last person to be here and to be taking care of stray cats.

''Hey…'' I say awkwardly, really not knowing how to react to all of this.

''Hey.'' He mirrors, avoiding my gaze and setting his eyes on the cat.

The cat meows happily again and sits down in front of him , waiting for Kai's next move. Taking this as a cue, he moves towards the bowls, next to where I was. The cat follows him, she knows the routine now. He crouches down and lifts his eyebrow in question; he's looking into the now filled water bowl.

'' Oh yeah,'' I say shyly, realizing that he must be wondering why the bowl was full '' I filled the bowl with what I had in my bottle. I sort of guessed that it was for water…''

He hums, not indicating any emotion, and went to open the can of tuna. The cat caresses his legs, head butting his knees and purring. As he pours the can into the bowl, she comes towards me, also caressing me. When he's done pouring all the contents of the cat, she quickly chows down on the food. Kai watches her, a soft expression blooming on his face, and strokes her lightly behind her ears.

''She's such a nice momma'' I say, breaking the silence.

'' She is.'' He agrees, still stroking her.

'' So, if it's not too indiscreet: how long have you been taking care of them? '' I ask, almost afraid. I have never talked to this guy until now, even if we sit beside each other everyday in class. Maybe I won't get an answer?

''Maybe 2 weeks,'' He says calmly, not seeming to mind my question ''She had her kittens a few days ago''.

''Seriously? '' I exclaim, looking back to the box of kittens. It's true that they don't look very old; their eyes are still closed and are huddled together for warmth.

We stay in silence like this; both down on the ground and watching the cat eat her fill. He is clearly very fond of her, he has a small smile on his lips and his eyes radiate warmth and content. I was trying my best not to be awkward or embarrass myself; it's kind of weird that I end up in a situation like this, with this guy too.

I look over at the kittens. They are so cute! There are 6 of them; 2 were white with black spots, one was a gray tabby, 2 were tuxedos and one was all black. They're so small and fragile, so precious. Now that I look like them, they kind of look like…

''Jellybeans…'' I whisper.

''What? ''

I whip my head around abruptly, realizing that I said that out loud. Kai was looking at me with a concern frown on his face, probably wondering what the hell I was thinking about. Probably thinks I'm crazy too. Stay cool, girl. Stay cool!

''Hum… I was thinking about how the kittens kind of look like Jellybeans, '' real smooth, girl '' you know, how small they are and how they're shaped… I don't know, maybe I'm stupid for looking at them that way...'' Yes, yes you are.

He raises his eyebrows in wonder. He leaves his spot beside to move beside me. I almost flinch when I feel his shoulder lightly brush against mine, but I try to remain under control. He looks down at the box to inspect the kittens, squinting while doing so.

A few moments pass in silence, Kai still looking closely at the kittens. I'm super nervous, I'm probably sweating, gross. Then finally, he says:

'' I guess you're right''.

He gets up, picking up the empty can of tuna and giving one last stroke to the cat before leaving the happy family. He doesn't say a word to me before I see him go through the light foliage of the forest. He left has quickly as he came; leaving me in a daze.

Did that really just happen?

* * *

Nothing happened the next few days that pass by. Sure, I look at the direction of where the cat family is when I walk in and out of school, but that's about. I guess it's because I know their being taken care of.

Speaking of which, Kai and I haven't talked since then. I guess we just went back to what things used to be; him ignoring and me trying not to be awkward around him. I don't mind, but maybe I thought that since we share a mutual secret, we might be chummy-chummy. A ''hello'' once is a while would suffice, but I'm asking too much, I guess. He's as mysterious and as stoic as ever.

Things are going well too. I'm a good student, I'm getting along well with Aiden and Simon and I'm getting accustomed to my new life here in Bey City. The only thing I'm disappointed with is that my parents aren't home as much as they want to and as they expected; Dad still travels around, but at least he's always home on the weekend. Mom's new job is a bit demanding on her, seeing that she is a newbie there. So, she still works late. She's usually back home at around 7pm. However, I think it's fine. We still are more together than we were moving. So, I guess moving here wasn't for nothing.

I was currently in Prof. Aberdeen's class, writing a dissertation on a poem we just read. Everyone was hard at work; only the sound of scribbling on paper was heard. Prof. Aberdeen was at his desk correcting papers from his other classes. Then, out of nowhere, a bright flash of white light painted the room. Soon, the roaring thunder came and the heavy rain followed.

Most of the class gasps in surprise, not expecting a storm. It has been sunny for the last few weeks, showing no signs of bad weather. Prof. Aberdeen hums appreciatively and says:

 _''_ _Limping on my way_

 _to the land of solitudes._

 _Thunder fills my name. ''_

A haiku of some sort. Not sure if it's a work of his or he was quoting someone. Either way, it was meant to bring the class back to work, reminding us of the work we had to do.

It hit me like a speeding train.

 _The cats._

I start panicking, wondering what to do. Are they safe? Are they caught up in this or did they take shelter somewhere? It would be awful if they got caught up in this storm…

I couldn't keep still in my chair, I have to do something!

'' Hey, you ok?'' Simon whispered, seeing how agitated I am.

I shake my head, trying to think of some way to get to the cats to make sure they were safe. I have to think of an idea soon. I tentatively break the silence in the room, hatching a plan as I spoke:

''Professor,'' I start '' I'm sorry, but I need to go to the restroom.'' I guess that's a start.

'' Miss, if you don't mind, class ends in 15 minutes.'' He answered, slightly frustrated that I disturbed the class.

''But Sir, I really need to go.'' I insisted, desperate at this point.

'' It can't be that bad'' He replied mockingly.

''It's a Girl Emergency!'' I almost scream at him, my last secret weapon, knowing that men are always squeamish about periods and whatnot.

The students in class snicker and whisper, not expecting this exchange between the Professor and I. Simon seems to be the most surprised, blushing hotly in embarrassment as he stared at me in shock openly.

''Alright,'' Professor Aberdeen says calmly, trying to not show his own shock and embarrassment ''you can go… I'm sorry for being insensitive.''

''It's ok! I forgive you. '' I say quickly, getting up as quickly as possible so I can be out the door as soon as possible.

As I got up, Kai looked at me with his usual bored expression. I shot him a concerned glance, trying to convey what I was thinking about, trying to tell him about the cats. I think he realized because his eyes widen slightly; he turns his head towards the window to his left, looking at the storm, and then back at me. He gives me a small nod, understanding.

I then rush out of the class, taking my bag with me. I make sure to go to the locker room to get my raincoat and my umbrella before braving the thunderstorm raging on outside. I just had to make sure the cats were alright.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Am I the only one that thinks that newborn kitties look like jellybeans ?

Finally, things are getting interesting ! Hehe


	4. Chapter 4

_''_ _Hang on! Hang on!_ '' I think as I run towards the forest

The thunder is loud. The lightning is blinding. The rain is harsh, hitting me in the face as I run. My shoes and tights are getting wetter and wetter as I approach the forest. When I get in the foliage, I step in dozens of puddles and slip a couple of times, also wetting my skirt and behind. I'm pretty sure I'm getting mud stains on my skirt too.

As I get closer and closer, I hear distressed meows, confirming my concerns; they are still out there with no shelter from this rain. I quickly open my umbrella as I reach the tree where the cat and her kittens are. I swiftly bend down to shelter them from the rain with the umbrella.

I gasp for air, trying to catch my breath after running so fast. I watch closely at the cat, who is drenched with water, making her look pitiful; She is shielding her kittens with her body to protect them from the rain. She is meowing low, clearly distressed and scared.

''It's ok momma,'' I try to reassure her the best I can, petting her head ''I'm here.''

She leans into my touch, seeking warmth. She is ice cold from the rain.

I hear the school bell ring from a distance, signifying the end of the period. As I waited for Kai, I slowly thought of a plan to get these cats to safety. The only thing I can think of right now is to ditch school and to go back to my place. My parents weren't home, so there won't be much resistance from them and they wouldn't scold me for missing school right away. Sure, I'll get in trouble, but I really don't care at this point; my main concern is to get this cat family to safety. Just looking at them makes you feel bad for them.

The cat's ears perk up, letting me know that something is approaching. Seconds later, Kai is bursting from the trees clad with only an umbrella. He was soaking wet too. He went by my side instantly, also covering the family with his umbrella.

'' I have a plan,'' I say, not wasting any time ''we have to take them somewhere dry and safe so they don't get sick. How do you feel about ditching school? I live a couple of metro stations away, we can get them to my place pretty quickly''.

''Let's go!'' He said, without any hesitation, voice filled with determination.

We don't waste any time. He grabs the box with the family inside while I get my raincoat off to cover the box, so they wouldn't get any wetter from the journey and that they can keep warm for the time being. We ran across the courtyard, ignoring the cries of the security guard warning us about ditching. We both run full speed to the metro station, taking the first train back to my place. We ignore all the stares we get on the train; Kai held the box tightly in his lap. I look under my jacket inside the box to see the cat still huddling her kittens protectively.

'' Almost there, '' I said to the family ''only 2 stops left''.

I place my jacket tighter around the box to keep them warmer, unintentionally brushing my hands against Kai's thighs. He doesn't seem to mind, seeing that he's actually helping me to wrap my jacket around the box.

 _''_ _What are his thighs made of? Steel? '_ ' I couldn't help but think. I never felt muscles so hard.

As soon as we got to the stop, we got off and made a mad-dash to my apartment complex. The rain is still falling hard and fast, hitting my face like little bullets. Good thing I only live 2 blocks away, I don't know if I could run in the storm that much longer. My shoes and tights are so soggy; I might slip and fall sooner or later, I'm just that clumsy.

We finally arrive at my building and I hurry to find my security card. As soon as we get in, I sink to my knees, panting like a wild animal. Kai stands there; slightly less winded out, and waits for me to get my breath back.

''Sorry,'' I say as I get up '' let me do just one thing and then we can go up the elevator to my place''.

I slip my shoes off and lift up my skirt an inch to take off my tights in one rapid motion, stepping out of them and gathering them quickly in my arms while heading to the elevator. Kai watches, but says nothing, only following me.

 _''_ _Geez, can't you be any more classy?''_ I shudder, realizing what I did ' _'well, at least I'm a bit dryer now''._

As we get to my floor, I walk towards my apartment door and open the door as quickly as possible. As expected, no one is home.

''If you don't mind, could you take off your shoes and socks?'' I ask Kai politely

And he does just that. He puts down the box on the step of the foyer and takes off his polished black shoes and black socks. While he does that, I take the box from the step and enter the open kitchen/living room area. I put the box down on the floor and remove my jacket, revealing the cat family, still terrified from the whole experience. I quickly take all the blankets I have available from the living room to form a makeshift nest on the couch. I let myself down on the floor beside the couch to look at the cat. I slowly reach for her and pet her softly.

''Hi momma, you're ok now. Your babies are safe. Can I pick them up to put them in a new bed? It's all warm and dry.'' I ask her calmly, not to scare her.

I tentatively reach out for one of the kittens to pick it up. The cat didn't seem to mind, letting me hold it. The kitten was so cold and wet…

''Kai, can you go in the second first drawer beside the sink in the kitchen? I need a hand towel to dry the kittens.'' I tell Kai over my shoulder, who was still on the edge of the foyer and the kitchen.

He does as I say, no other words needed. I hear the drawer being opened and closed. I finally feel his presence beside me, also bending down. He grabbed 2 towels, one for me and one for him. Guy knows how to be efficient.

We both get to work on drying the kittens. We dry 3 each and set them on the nest I made. The cat jumps in and starts licking her babies and chirping to them, reassuring them. I also use my towel to pat dry the cat to remove most of the excess water on her.

''That was a wild ride.'' I sigh in relief, looking to Kai, giving him a small smile.

''Yeah.'' He says, looking at me too, eyes soft.

We look into each other's eyes for a slight moment, before turning back to make sure the cats were ok. Momma cat is happily chirping and purring while her kittens nurse.


	5. Chapter 5

_''_ _I'm so gross right now…''_

I am still soaking wet. My skirt full of mud and splashes of whatever gunk I managed to fall on. My cardigan is clinging to me unpleasantly and my hair is a totally mess, sticking in every direction. No wonder I was being stared at on the metro, I look like a troll that just came out of its cave after 100 years.

Meanwhile, even if Kai was equally as wet, he successfully maintained some sort of composure and dignity; his clothes clung to him almost beautifully, tracing all the dips, curves and crevices of his body.

 _''_ _I'm such a pervert… ''_ I think, as I stare at his body, slowly racking my eyes over him while he still watches over the cats carefully.

I then look at the mess we left behind; the box that used to house the cats was totally wet through and slowly falling apart. The blankets inside the box we're also wet and dirty. My jacket and tights were discarded in the middle of living room. And we trailed water all over the place.

'' Mom is going to kill me! '' I say out loud to break the silence and get up to get my butt in gear. This mess isn't going to clean itself up.

''Are those blankets yours, '' I ask Kai, mentioning them '' I can do a load of laundry for them and our clothes…'' I suggest tentatively.

Kai gets up slowly, gathering the wet blankets in his arms. I'm guessing that's his answer.

''Cool,'' I say as I walk towards the bathroom with Kai in tow '' I can give you some spare clothes while your clothes are being washed. By the way, if you want to take a shower, you're more than welcome to.''

I hear him let out an affirmative ''Hn'' as we enter the bathroom. The entrance of the bathroom there was the laundry room with all the cleaning essentials. Further down was the actual bathroom, equipped with a sink, a toilet and a separate shower and bath.

''Here, I'll take these and I'll get you fresh clothes'' I take the blankets from him to put them in the washer and I walk out to go to my bedroom.

 _''_ _Do I even have anything that will fit him? ''_ I think as I desperately look around my drawers and closet for a set of clothes.

I finally decide on a pair of super baggy gray sweatpants and a _Run DMC_ tank I had for years. While in my room, I also change out of my wet and dirty clothes, opting for some leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. I also put on some wool socks for maximum comfort and warmth.

I run back to the bathroom and walk in on Kai changing; he had hanged his blazer on an empty coat hanger close to the washer and had gotten rid of his button up shirt. He was standing there clad only in his uniform pants. I can feel my face turning red, trying really _hard_ to not to stare at his bare torso. I hand him the spare clothes quickly and wish him a good shower as I slam the door behind me.

Now I know why he has a fan club; the guy's hot, I mean _really_ hot. His arms and shoulders are toned from years of beyblading, probably. His pectorals are large and wide and looked hard . And let's not start on his washboard abs… All that power and strength packed in a tone, lean body. Many scars seem to grace his skin, but it only adds to his regal and intimidating appearance.

 _''_ _Get a grip on it, girl!''_ I tell myself as I go clean up the mess that was left.

The box was thrown out almost instantly and I got to work cleaning up the puddles of water that was brought inside. I gather up the used hand towels and I check on the cats, who were all happily asleep. The rain was still as strong as ever, hearing the pangs of the drops on the windows of the condo. As I'm close to the kitchen, I get the kettle out and start boiling a pot of water for tea or coffee for later. I also go to the foyer to gather the wet black socks that Kai left.

By the time I was done gathering all the wet or used articles of laundry, Kai had emerged from the bathroom wearing the clothes I gave him with a towel on his hair. He looked very relaxed and pleased.

 _''_ _My clothes look better on him than on me…''_ I secretly admire how the tank accentuates his arms, shoulders and collarbone.

''I'll start the wash, then,'' I say to try to cover up the fact that I was clearly staring at him '' I'm boiling water if you want any coffee or tea.''

''Coffee,'' He specifies as he sits in the lounge chair beside the sofa and crosses his legs ''just black".

 _''_ _Of course, black coffee for Mr. Cool''_ I roll my eyes at this.

I quickly start up the washer and go back to the kitchen to prepare black coffee for Kai and black tea for me. As soon as they're done, I walk over to him and give him his cup. He gladly takes it and immediately starts drinking it. I take up a seat on the lounge chair next to his, folding my legs under myself.

We sit like this in silence for a long time. Kai seemingly content with the current mood, enjoying his coffee and watching over the cats. I was trying not to be awkward; it was my style to blur out weird things and regret it later. Instead, I went back to studying him.

I never really got the chance to really look at him up close. Sure, I sit beside him almost every day but I'm usually too busy chatting with Simon or listening in class. It would also be totally obvious that I would be staring at him in class too.

''What?''

Speaking of being obvious, I was just caught red-handed by Kai. He had a frown on his face and he's giving me a suspicious glare.

''Oh nothing,'' trying to think of an excuse to why I was staring at him ''it just that even though we see each other almost every day, I know nothing about you''.

''What is there to know about,'' he says in an arrogant and bored tone ''everyone at school probably told you who I was''.

''Sure, but we never properly introduced ourselves…'' I was caught off guard by his response; he was so calm just a moment ago.

''And why would I be interested in being introduced to you?'' He asks in a bitter tone, glaring at me ''you are probably like all the others.''

 _''_ _Like all the others?''_ I repeat to myself, not really understand the underlying implications of that phrase. Was he talking about the students at school? People in general? Or was this something about his personal life?

I sigh, not feeling like starting a fight with some guy from school; I'm already tired from all the running and adrenaline of today. I also don't want to force anyone into a friendship because that is just bizarre and annoying. I get up and set my tea on the coffee table. I walk up to Kai, who was still sitting elegantly on the lounge chair.

'' If you feel that way, it's ok, '' I tell him in a sad tone ''after the wash is done, you can leave with clean clothes and forget that all this happened. Don't worry; I'll take care of the cats.''

He widened his eyes at me slightly, looking surprised that I said something like that, but stayed mostly composed, ignoring me for the rest of our time together. He slowly drank his coffee as I finished the washing and drying of his clothes. I could see from the corner of my eye that he was closely looking at the cats, petting the older cat softly as she slept.

From the bathroom, I can hear the rain slowly dying down, only hearing the occasional pitter-patter. As the dryer announces the end of it's cycle, I sort out all of the clothes and towels and find Kai's belongings. I fold them neatly and leave them on the bathroom counter to fetch him so he could change.

Not one word was spoken between us. The atmosphere was heavy and tense with an indescribable feeling. He reappears from the bathroom fully dressed in his uniform, minus the blazer folded over his arm. He quickly laces his shoes and grabs his bag and umbrella. Before leaving, he looks at me over his shoulder.

''See you around, I guess. '' I tell him, not sure what to say to him. This is sort of a goodbye, after all.

He nods back at me and leaves; it's like as if he was never here in the first place. He was gone like the wind. The only thing that proves that he was here is the clothes I borrowed him and the empty cup he left on the kitchen sink.

I go back to my room, not bothering to clean up after him. I throw myself on the bed face first and start screaming in my pillow. _I'm such a loser!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all !**

 **Thanks for all the support. I'm slowly untangling all the pieces to this story I wrote 10 years ago. It's more complicated than I thought, I don't understand my teenage writing. Feel free to leave a review to tell me what you think.**

 **Just a heads up, chapters will be longer from now on.**

* * *

Mom was pissed when she got home. Of course, she got a call from school saying that I ditched the 2 last periods. But that was quickly forgotten as soon as she saw the cute cat family on the sofa. She even went to get pet supplies for them so they can feel ''more at home'', as she put it.

The next day, I woke up with a bad cough and headache; probably from running in the rain for so long. Mom insisted that it was a fever and that I stayed home from school for today. I didn't fight it, my head hurt too much to fight. Mom was lucky to get a day off from work to take care of me, but I feel bad about it; she shouldn't have to miss work for me, but she said that she wanted to make sure I was ok. But deep down, I know she just wants a day off and cuddle our new guests.

I spent the whole day in bed coughing and wheezing. I slept most of the day, but I did get occasional visits from momma cat, who went right up in my bed and rub herself up against me. I think she even slept beside me at one point.

At around suppertime, Mom woke me so I could eat. She made me a hearty minestrone soup with tons of veggies.

"By the way, your friend came by today,'' my mom says as she served herself a bowl '' I think he came to give you his notes from school for the day.''

"A friend?" I repeat, a bit surprised. No one at school knows where I live.

"Yeah, you know; tall, dark, handsome… Not very talkative.'' My mom describes vaguely, but I know exactly whom she's talking about.

 _"What was he doing here?''_ I think angrily _''I thought he didn't want to have anything to do with me.''_

My mom didn't say anything else, sensing that I was deep in thought and not to be disturbed. She only pointed out the black binder that was on the kitchen counter, the one my ''friend'' left.

I quickly finish my soup and grab the binder. Once in my room, I grab my own school binder to start rewriting Kai's note into my own notes. His writing is very neat and elegant; it was almost too pretty to be a man's writing. He left post-it arrows where his notes start and left small comments in the margins, as if only for me since all the other previous pages had none.

I felt very touched at this moment but only made me confused as to who Kai was and why he was this way.

* * *

I can feel a thousand pairs of eyes looking at me as I walk in the school courtyard. I can hear hush tones and whispers buzzing in my ears as I walk in the hallways. I can sense everyone's judgement as I enter the classroom. No one was trying to hide their stares, no one seemed to care if they were heard or not. I all tried to do is hold my head up high and ignore everyone.

The sound of the shrill bell rang across the school and everyone hurries to their classes and seats. Kai was already sitting in his designated seat when I got to class, still as serious as ever. As I sit down, I give him his binder and quietly thank him. He says nothing, only listening to the teacher with a bored expression as he takes the binder from me.

In the middle of class, I get a note thrown on my desk. I look to my right, seeing Simon looking at me with a hard and serious expression. I open the note and it read:

 **What the hell happened? What happened with Kai Hiwatari? Why were you not at school yesterday? Did he do anything to you?**

I look back to Simon and shake my head. I write in turn on the note:

 **Nothing happened! It's a long, boring story; it's not even worth telling, trust me.**

I wait for the teacher to turn his back before handing Simon the note back. He reads it quickly, writes something else and throws it back to me:

 **Do you have any idea what is going on right now? The school is going crazy over this! I've heard every rumour unimaginable. You are so in trouble! You are never going to live this down!**

I shrug my shoulders at him, not really knowing what else to write. I know that I'm going to be the center of school gossip from now on if this morning was any indication. But seriously, why are people freaking out so much? I mean, Kai is like any normal guy. People just need to chill out. So what if he's the best beyblader in the world? Guy has a life too.

All I wanted to do is help cats, yet I get this.

* * *

The day up until lunch was chaotic. The staring, the whispering and the gossiping went on. I could not go a step without feeling like I was being watched. Then, Aiden came into the mix, asking 474893413839 questions.

"Seriously, tell me what happened! I'm your friend right?'' Aiden asked again

"As your friend, I'm telling you that absolutely nothing happen!'' I tell him with annoyance in my voice.

"Lay off, Aiden,'' says Simon ''she's already the school's hot gossip, let her breath.''

"Honestly, I don't get what the big deal is! Why is everyone making this a huge deal?'' I ask in a discouraged tone.

"1. It's Kai Hiwatari,'' Aiden starts numbering off "2. He's famous; 3. He never talks to anybody; 4. He's gorgeous, according to the female population… Did I mention he's Kai Hiwatari? "

"Don't remind me…'' I sigh, hitting my head on the table that we were sitting at in cafeteria.

"But in all seriousness, nothing bad happened, right? "Simon asks with a worried look in his eyes.

"No, don't worry.'' I reassure him.

"So… Are you and Kai friends now?'' Aiden asks curiously, almost in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah, right, "I snort as I roll my eyes "Ice King and I are best buddies…''

Aiden sticks his tongue out at me as Simon laughs at my sarcastic comment. I'm glad they're not bothering me too much with all of this. Even if I did explain to them what happened between Kai and me, it wouldn't really matter; we're not friends, Kai made it obvious. I would just be wasting my time telling the story. I doubt Simon and Aiden are interested in knowing about the cats anyways.

As we lounge at the cafeteria table, I see a group of people coming toward us from the corner of my eye. As it comes closer, I realise that it's a group of girls; most have intricate hairstyles, have sophisticated makeup and sport the latest designer accessories. One girl stands out, taking the role of the leader of the group. Out of all of them, she seemed to be the most beautiful and well done-up.

"Oh shit,'' Simon whispers as he hangs his head down "I knew this would happen. It's the Kai Hiwatari fan club.''

Aiden simply laughs and shakes his head in defeat, knowing there's was nothing he could do to stop this cataclysm.

"Hey, new girl,'' the leader calls out to me "who do you think you are?''

"And that matters because…? " I ask

"Look, I know you don't know how things work around here,'' she starts saying with a smug expression "but Kai Hiwatari is off limits.''

"Off limits? Is he private property or something?'' I ask.

"Aren't you a little smartass? "She snarls at me.

''Just saying he as his basic human rights and he has the rights to his own existence.'' I say bluntly, legitimately meaning it. Who are they to decide whom he's with or not?

''Ugh seriously,'' she huffs "Just stay away from him! "

"Why? Do you have ownership over him? He can do whatever he wants! I doubt he cares about what you think!'' I exclaim, pulling myself up and slamming my hands on the table to emphasise my point. Now, I'm just annoyed.

''And don't worry, Kai and I are not even friends.'' I add as I gather my things and leave the table, leaving the group of gawking girls and the 2 shocked boys behind.

 _"_ _This school is crazy,"_ I think as the bell rings.

* * *

Beyblade club never fails to cheer me up. Everyone there is so nice and friendly. Talking and watching everyone battle made me feel better about my day. It was just relaxing not to think about it. And maybe I'm just weird, but the sound of beyblades spinning is almost soothing. Anyhow, it made me forget about all the gossip and encounters of the day.

As I exit Gym B, I walk along the side of the building to get to the path to the courtyard. As I walk in the light wooded area, I suddenly hear footsteps behind me. I don't pay much attention to it since most club activities end at this hour and students go home but then I get harshly pushed to the ground, falling face first to the ground.

''You thought you could give me attitude and get out of it, new girl?'' I hear a sinister voice say behind me.

I turn myself lightly to see the girl from earlier with a couple of people from her posy. They were all looking down at me with a vicious look in their eyes.

"I don't care who you are and what you think," she says "Kai belongs to me, he always has. No one has dared to take him from me-"

"Wait a second you psycho,'' I cut her off abruptly "I'm not taking anyone from you!"

" I still have to make an example of you." She replies as she cackles evilly

" What kind of dreamland are you living inside your head,'' I scream at her, having enough of her nonsense "Do you think that Kai's your boyfriend or something? Are you that disconnected to reality?''

She unceremoniously spits in my face in retaliation

"You little brat,'' She hisses "you'll pay for saying that.''

Her cronies come up from behind her and stalk towards me. I get up quickly to get ready to run or to defend myself, but one of them manages to slap me hard, feeling scratches from her nails. The other one pulls my hair and punches me in the jaw. I can hear the leader laugh at my pain and struggle while the others try to hurt me more.

However, everything stops suddenly and I feel the warmth of a body at my back and an arm around my hips, holding me protectively. I can see a hand grabbing at one of the girls fists to stop the swing of a punch and the other is slowly backing off. Meanwhile, the leader had a shocked expression on her face.

I slowly look up to see the face of my saviour, only to see Kai's serious and angry face glaring at the group of attackers.

''Get out of here!'' He says menacingly with a killer glare.

"Kai…'' The leader calls out in a soft voice, almost apologetic.

''You're a nuisance. Get out of my sight.'' Kai adds more forcefully, ending whatever she wanted to start.

She gasps as if surprised by his response. She starts crying as she runs towards where she came from with her posy in tow.

And here I am: all beat up and left dumbfound in Kai's arms.

I didn't ask for this.

I feel myself in and out of consciousness due to shock and exhaustion. I give up and just let the darkness take over. Today _really_ sucked.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey y'all ! You might realise that I cleaned up the chapters a bit and merged the smaller ones. Idk I just like this better and makes the chapters have more substance.**

 **I'll also be posting a couple of chapters in the next few hours, seeing I've been super busy with work and I'm trying to make up for it.**

* * *

I wake up with a start when I feel a sharp burn on my left knee. I let out a pained and shocked gasp, not really knowing what was going on. I focus my blurry eyesight, trying to figure out where I was and what was happening; I was clearly lying on a bed in an empty room. On my side, I see other beds lined up, all small and covered in white sheets. I also see a cabinet filled with medical supplies. Ah, the infirmary! _Wait, why am I here in the first place?_

I let out another pained gasp when my right also starts to burn. I sit upright to see what was going on, only to suddenly head-butt someone in the head.

''Watch what you're doing!'' Hisses a familiar masculine voice.

I look to my side to see Kai sitting beside the bed I was currently occupying. He was rubbing the spot on his head where I hit him, glaring at me. Set on the bed beside me was a first aid kit.

''Sorry! You startled me! Are you ok?'' I ask him, worried about the damage I caused with my head.

He just lets out a heavy sigh and goes back into the first aid kit to fish out a bandage. I look down to my legs to see my left knee was already patched up. The right one was pretty scratched up but free of dirt and blood.

"You don't have to do this,'' I tell him while he's putting the bandage on my right knee "I can do it myself."

"Forget it,'' He replies as he finishes "You got beat up pretty badly."

"Yeah… What was that about anyway? Who was that crazy chick?" I ask tentatively

He doesn't reply, only going back into the first aid kit to put hydrogen peroxide on a piece of gauze. With the gauze in between his fingers, he slowly brings it to my face to not startle me and starts dabbing a cut that's on my face. He's incredibly gentle which surprised me and made me blush. I unsuccessfully try to dodge his eyes, their crimson color captivating me.

''I'm sorry.'' He suddenly says while he cleans up the cuts on my face.

''What?! This isn't your fault… It's not like you asked to have deranged fangirls fighting and claiming ownership over you!"

He smirks and lightly chuckles, surprising me once again. _Honestly, this guy…_

''You came to my rescue, anyway…So, I guess you're forgiven.'' I added the blush slowly deepening on my face. _God, I'm such a loser for saying that. Can't I just shut up!_

"Hey, is this why you don't want to… Hang out?'' I ask him, referring to 2 days ago when he said he didn't want to have anything to do with me.

He gets up and slowly puts away all the supplies in the first aid kit. He then turns around to put the kit away in one of the cabinets of the room, organizing it with all the other supplies inside.

'' I've misjudged you.'' He says as he's putting away the kit.

''Well, like I said before, we barely know each other…'' I say shyly, getting up from the bed and slowly moving towards him.

''Besides, '' I add as I lean against the cabinet beside him ''we're cool now, right?''

He looks at me with wide eyes, seeming shocked at what I said. But the look slowly faded and was replaced by a relaxed smile.

''Yeah.''

* * *

As expected, the whispers and rumors continued the next day. And with the added wounds and bruises, it only made things worst. However, I was happy that no one (especially a certain group of fangirls) came to bother me.

As soon as I came into class the next morning, I could feel Simon's worried gaze on me. He's frowning, as if saying that I have some explaining to do. I just smile at him, trying to console him.

''Alright class,'' the math teacher says to the rowdy class ''Today, we will do exercises on trigonometry. Please open page 43 of your textbooks and do numbers 6 to 15. You can do it in pairs if you want but please be quiet. If you have any questions, I'll be up front.''

''Oh great math!'' I whisper sarcastically, knowing how much I hate it and suck at it too.

I get my textbook and open it to page 43, only to be welcomed with incomprehensible numbers and symbols. I can feel like I already lost the battle. I can feel my eyes growing twice their size trying to understand this alien language.

Before I have the change to get up to go see the teacher, I feel a tap on my left shoulder.

''Need help?'' asks Kai in a nonchalant way.

I can clearly see in his notebook that he was already done with the first number in the list of exercises we had to do and was already moving on to the next.

"If you don't mind, that would be great!''

Turns out that he's great at this. He's purely logical, going through the exercises like it was nothing. He does try his best to explain the material to me, but I'm just really hopeless. He doesn't get frustrated, nor tired of repeating everything. I'm surprised at his patience, I almost feel bad for him for dealing me. But, I'm nonetheless grateful that he's helping me out of the goodness of his heart.

This guy is just full of surprises.

Something I was definitely NOT expecting was for him to sit next to me at my usual spot at the cafeteria when it was lunch. All Simon could do is stare while Aiden was trying to figure out what to say to Kai, only making squeaking noises.

''Wow guys! I didn't know you were that happy to see me!'' I say sarcastically to lighten up the mood.

"That's Kai Hiwatari! You're Kai Hiwatari!'' Aiden finally exclaimed, flailing his finger at him and going on a tirade about how Kai's the best beyblader on this earth.

''Holy shit, Aiden,'' Simon says as he snaps out of his daze, scolding his friend "calm down, please! You're making us look bad…''

''How can I calm down! He's sitting at our table, with us! Thank you Beyblade Gods!'' Aiden praises the invisible deities by throwing his hands up over his head.

''If you haven't noticed, he's a huge fan of your work.'' I say with a sigh to Kai as I unpack my lunch.

All Kai does is shrug his shoulders in disinterest and focuses his attention elsewhere.

For the rest of the lunch break, Aiden goes on and on about how Kai's the best beyblader and talks about Beyblade club. Simon and I laugh at him and make jokes at his expense. Kai doesn't participate, only enjoying the company and scenery of the cafeteria. He's still as quiet as ever.

The rest of the day went by at a normal pace. Simon and I exchanged notes in class to pass time. You could fee it in the air that it was Friday, the students were agitated and less patient then usual. By the time the bell rang, almost everyone had left the classroom. Even the teacher had left in a hurried pace.

''See you later,'' Simon called out to me as he left the room ''Text me whenever. See you Monday.''

''See you, my dude.'' I call back to him.

As I pack my things, I realize that Kai was still in class with me, looking at me as if he wanted to tell me something.

"What's up?'' I ask him, genuinely curious to know what he wanted.

He reaches into his waist pocket f his blazer to pull something out and then hands it out to me. It's a ticket with a seat number on it. It also says ''Beyblade World Preliminaries'' in a bold and obnoxious font. I look back to him with a questioning look.

"You like Beyblade, right? Your friend said you were in the club. '' Kai asks, referring to when Aiden was on his tirade earlier.

" I mean, yeah. But I don't play it…'' I say honestly

He starts walking away from me, ignoring my reaction. Before leaving the class he tells me:

"Whatever. Come if you want.''

Then, he leaves me alone, shocked and confused in the room.

Yup, full of surprises.


	8. Chapter 8

Getting to the Seaside Dome was pretty easy; it was fairly close to downtown and was right on the pier. It's a pretty scenic place with all the parks and pathways surrounding the Dome. And today is such a nice day, the sun is warm and bright and people are out and about with their weekend activities.

As I walk towards the stadium, fans, the press, groupies and competitors crowded me. This town is pretty serious about beyblading; it was like a huge fair. There were also stands selling food, snacks and merchandise. I was very impressed but overwhelmed by everything. I quickly decide that my best option is to just get in the stadium and find my seat to avoid the mass of people.

 _''_ _I wonder if he's going to come?'_ ' I think as I find my seat among the many rows. Kai said absolutely nothing about whether or not he'd be there. He basically just tossed me the ticket and left without giving me the chance to ask questions.

The competition itself wasn't set to start for another hour, so I got comfy in my seat and pulled a novel out of my bag. It's been a while since I wanted to start reading _The Iliad_ and this is the perfect opportunity to do it.

Some time passed and I suddenly feel someone sit beside me on my left. I raise my head, expecting to see Kai, but instead a short bespectacled young man and a brown haired girl greeted my sight. They seemed agitated and excited, quickly sitting down. The boy got a laptop out of his bag and opened some sort of program.

"Another year, another tournament.'' He says with a smile on his face as he clicks away on his keyboard

''I can't believe it's happening! After 2 years, the BBA is official back on it's feet!'' The girl adds excitedly. ''So, Chief: how's the competition for today?'' She asks him.

''Nothing the G-Revolutions can't handle, I'm sure. I'll still look into the data to see if there's anything fishy.'' He replies as he looks at his computer screen, looking as if he's pulling up many files.

I say nothing to not to bother them. Seems like this isn't their first beyblade tournament. I wouldn't want to say anything to look like a newbie. I just go back to reading my book for the time being. There was still 30 minutes left before the start, so I wasn't worried for now. Maybe Kai will show up at the last minute?

Just as I think that, I feel a presence on my right side. Lo and behold, Kai was sitting beside me, still looking as serious as ever. Even his outfit screamed intimidating with an almost all black ensemble and a long white scarf around his neck.

''Hey, Kai.'' I say shyly, not really knowing what else to say.

''Hn.'' He replies

''Wait… Do you two know each other?'' I hear the boy beside me say.

I turn my head to see both the boy and girl looking at us with wide eyes and open mouths, as if not believing what they were seeing.

''We know each other from school?'' I answer tentatively, still not sure what to say.

'' A friend from school?!'' They both say in unison, both looking at each other as if in search for more answers

'' Do… You know Kai?'' I dare to ask

" Do we KNOW him?'' exclaimed the brown haired girl "We've known him for years!''

"Pardon my friends' rudeness,'' the boy cut off his friend " What she means is that we've worked together for a long time. We work with the G-Revolutions.''

''The G-Revolution?'' I'm confused

''You say you know Kai, but you don't know about the G-Revolutions?'' The girl says as she gives me a dirty look.

''Hillary!'' The young man hissed out.

''I invited her,'' Kai finally interjects. "This is her first time at a tournament. She just started to learn about beyblade.''

''Yeah! Sorry if I don't know much…'' I say calmly, not wanting to provoke the girl any further.

''No problem! We all have to start somewhere, right Hillary?'' The boy says with emphasis on the girls' name, as if referring to something.

''I'm just saying that if you and Kai are friends, you should at least know that!'' She huffs out as she crosses her arms.

"I'm Kenny, by the way! I'm sort of the brains of the team.'' He introduces himself, holding out his hand to shake mine.

"It's nice to me you."

"And that's Hillary.'' Kenny says, pointing his head towards her direction.

"Hi Hillary, nice to meet you." I say to her, trying to patch things up.

She just huffs again and proceeds to turn her back on me.

"Don't mind her, she's probably just jealous that Kai has another female friend rather than just her.'' Kenny laughs out nervously.

"I'm not!" Hillary retaliates.

"So I'm guessing the G-Revolutions is your team?'' I ask Kai.

"Yeah.'' He answers.

"The G-Revolutions used to be called the Bladebreakers,'' Kenny starts as he types on his laptop. "This is the fourth year we are all competing in the world tournament. Well… Except for Kai…''

"But you're going to whip those guys into shape, right Kai? You're still going to be our coach?" Hillary cuts in, sounding almost desperate for an answer from Kai.

Kai just looks and her and nods before turning his attention back to the different stadiums down below.

"Anyways, " Kenny continues explaining, "How this tournament is going to work is that teams of 4 bladers will be chosen in each preliminary matches around the world. Then, they all compete against each other for the world champion title."

"That's pretty exciting!'' I say, genuinely impressed by the whole thing. World championships for Beyblade? I had no idea it was so popular.

''It is," returns Kenny enthusiastically " And what's even better is that the whole gang are together this time!''

"Together this time?'' I ask confused

"Oh yeah, sorry! 2 of our friends, Ray and Max, have their own teams from their hometowns and they competed with them at the last championships. Actually, Kai also competed with another team too. '' Kenny answers.

"But that doesn't matter anymore, Chief," Hillary says turning her head towards us "After we beat team BEGA, it was obvious that all the guys would agree to get back together!"

BEGA? Isn't that's the team Aiden told me about once? The same team that battled with Kai before he retired from Beyblade? I decided not to ask anything about that so I wouldn't bring up a touchy subject.

Suddenly, the lights of the stadium dimmed, prompting the whole audience to scream and cheer; they were at least 10 000 people inside, the sound was so loud. Everyone was chanting different team names and were inciting for the prelims to start. I could see Hillary and Kenny talking but I couldn't hear a single thing they were saying. It was all so impressive and grand; I've never seen anything like this.

I feel something brush against my right shoulder. I turn to see Kai eyeing bizarrely and saying something to me. The only way I could make out what he was saying was by reading his lips: ''are you ok?'' I decipher.

I smile awkwardly at him and throw my right thumb up before turning back to see the action that was about to start. A man came out from the floor below the stadium on a platform extravagantly dressed in tight clothes and sunglasses.

"Hello everyone! Are you ready to kick off this 4th World Championships Preliminaries?" He yelled into a microphone to the crowd.

The crowd went wild.

''Alright! Let's hear it Mr. Stanley Dickenson, chairman of the BBA.''

A short moustachioed old man in a suit and bowl hat stepped out onto the floor, waving at the crowd, holding a microphone in his hand.

"Welcome one and all! My, I'm quite impressed with this turnout. I wasn't expecting so many of you today. I wish to thank all that are involved in making this Championship a reality. And an extra thank you to all you wonderful fans; without you, there wouldn't even be a Championship in the first place! Finally, I wish all the competing teams good luck, but most importantly, to have fun! Let the games begin!'' Said Mr. Dickenson to the crowd before stepping out.

" You heard the man, folks; let's get this party started!''

The crowd cheers even louder as the prelims kick off. The first bladers step out to start competing. You can see 4 distinct beystadiums out on the floor and a giant TV screen rolls down from the ceiling, revealing 4 blocks to decide the team who's going to be chosen.

Things start out pretty simply; the least experienced bladers are eliminated and the winners go up against each other. However, I can feel this thick tension inside the stadium as if the whole audience was waiting for something, or someone.

This all changed when 4 specific bladers stepped out onto the beyblade battlefield. Everyone screamed tenfold and the tension that was building up just exploded into pure excitement and adrenaline. My ears were ringing from the yells and screams.

"That's our boys!'' Yells out Hillary as she gets up from her seat to cheer on the group.

I feel Kenny tap my shoulder. I can see that he turned his laptop screen towards me to show me what was on it. I see different profiles of beybladers and their statistics when it comes to their skills and techniques. I finally realize that he's showing me the profiles of those 4 bladers.

The first was Max Mizuhara. He's a blond freckled boy dressed in American styled clothes. He seems to specialize in a defensive style when it comes to beyblade. What he lacks in attack, his beyblade makes up for in defense. His beyblade also dornes a huge defense ring. He also used to be part of a team called the All Stars.

Then, there was Ray Kon. I read on his profile that he's from China. He too used to be part of another team back in China; White Tiger X. Ray has a battle style that emphasizes swiftness and accuracy.

There was also a young man called Daichi Sumeragi. He seemed so much younger than all the others. His red hair was wild and unkempt and his clothes were old and ripped up. He style of battling was described as rash and wild, just like him.

And finally, there was Tyson Kinomiya, 3 times beyblade world champion. I've seen his face before in the many sport magazines that Aiden brings to school. He wears a distinctive baseball hat that everyone recognizes. His blading style relies on power and sheer determination.

 _"I wonder what Kai's stats look like?"_ I ask myself as I nod to Kenny as I'm done reading the profiles.

As the prelims continue, you see how all 4 bladers win each block little by little. Tyson was the first to win in Block C. Then followed Max in Block D and Ray in Block B. In the end, Daichi was the last to win in Block A. It took a little over 2 hours for the whole event to go down. I've seen the people at club so many times and I thought they were good; these guys are on a whole other level. No wonder they're considered some of the best beybladers in the world. And now, they will be competing on the same team. A blading powerhouse was born.

People were going wild and crazy over the fact that they were t be a team once more. Hillary and Kenny were just as excited to embark on a new adventure. Kay simply looked at the newly picked team with pride in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. Obviously, it was an amazing day for all of them and I got the immense chance to witness all of this. Even though I felt a bit out of place, I was happy for Kai and was grateful to have that moment with him.

" _I wonder why he invited me in the first place?_ '' I wonder. Yeah, sure I like beyblade. But was there another reason?


	9. Chapter 9

**Yayyy for long chapters!**

 **Constructive criticism and comments are welcome, R &R! Tell me what you think :)**

* * *

We joined the group of bladers in their locker room when the prelims were over and the audience was slowly leaving the stadium. Walking along the backstage of the stadium was surreal, I felt like a VIP. I followed Kenny, Hillary and Kay closely so I wouldn't get lost in the many corridors.

''Did you guys see me out there? I totally kicked butt!" I hear a loud shrill voice call out from one of the closed doors.

"Jeez, Daichi! You weren't that great… Those were all amateurs!'' an irritated voice answered.

As Kenny opened the door, I could see Tyson and Daichi arguing about their performance from a while ago, throwing insults at one another. Ray and Max were casually talking to themselves while tuning up their blades from the previous battles.

"Can you guys knock it off," Hillary interjected "What's important is that we're all a team now!"

"Yeah, guys. Can you not fight for one second?" Kenny agrees.

"It's not my fault that Daichi is so annoying.'' Tyson argues with a pout on his face.

"But you have to admit Tyson," Max says "We we're all pretty good out there today."

"I agree," Ray replies "feels good to be out there again."

"Yeah! I'm happy we're a team again!" Tyson cheers.

"Humm… Who's that chick?" Daichi suddenly asks, pointing towards me.

I feel all eyes in the room lay on me. Feeling shy all of a sudden, I hide slightly behind Kai as if to protect myself from the stares.

"Oh, that's one of Kai's friends.'' Kenny answers

"A friend?" They all say in unison with a surprised look on their faces.

"Wow, Deja Vue…'' I whisper to myself, only to hear Kai slightly chuckle at my comment, making the whole group even more surprised.

"Now that's a first.'' Ray says.

"Expect for that one time when that guy Wyatt showed up.'' Max continues.

"Well, it's nice to me you! Put er' there!'' Tyson greets as he walks up to me to shake my hand.

"It's nice to meet you too.'' I reply with a handshake.

"It was her first time at a Beyblade tournament.'' Kenny says.

"Really? How did you find it?'' Max asks with a sweet smile on his face.

"It was awesome! You're all truly amazing… I never knew the sport could be so intense!" I reply.

"You never beybladed before?'' adds Ray.

"Nah. Where I'm from, Beyblade isn't that popular. I only learned about it when I moved here."

A couple more questions were asks about where I'm from and how I like Bey City, but not much was said.

"Guys, can we go now? I'm sooo hungry!'' Daichi says while rubbing his empty belly.

"Yeah! Let's all go to my house and get pizza!" Tyson suggests enthusiastically.

All seem to agree and everyone packs up their gear and head out the stadium. I was about to separate myself from the group to head on home as Kai grabs my arm to stop me.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asks with a frown on his face.

"Hum…Home? Isn't the pizza thing a thing between you and your team?''

He shakes his head as a smirk grace his lips. He just starts pulling me by my arm to follow him, hinting for me to come with him and the rest of the group. Guess I'm invited to pizza too.

Tyson's place was pretty far, his house was nestled out the city in a calm suburb. 2 trains, 15 stops and a 30-minute walk later, we arrive in front of a traditional Japanese house that also served as a kendo dojo. It was very peaceful and serene, that is until a crazy old guy showed up with a training sword.

"What's up my homies? How was the tourney, yo?'' He asks in a weird accent.

"Sup Gramps,'' greets Tyson "the tournament was no sweat for us!''

"Yeah Gramps! We were so good! You should have seen it!'' Daichi adds.

"I believe you, little dude. You dudes sure know how to Beyblade.'' The man says.

"Hey, who's the new girlie?'' He asks, clearly referring to me.

"One of Kai's friends.'' Max replies, putting emphasis on the word friends.

"K-man's honey, hey? Well, a friend of Kai's is a friend of mine. I'm Tyson's Granpappy.'' He tells me with a huge smile on his face.

"Not a honey, just a homie,'' I correct him " It's nice to meet you, sir.''

"Sister knows my language! And call me Gramps, no formalities in this dojo!'' Gramps laughs out as he leads us to a large room in the house where we could all be seated.

"I'll call for pizza,'' says Hillary "What do you guys want?''

"Meat Lovers!" Daichi screams.

"Pepperoni!" Tyson retaliates.

"Extra cheese?'' Max suggests in turn, Kenny nodding at this.

"I'm good for whatever.'' Replies Ray

I just shrug, not really caring what toppings we get, I like all types of pizza. Kai seems pretty indifferent too.

"Fine, I'll get one on each in extra large.'' Hillary sighs as she exits the room to all delivery.

"3 extra larges? Were just 8 people?'' I whisper to Kai in question.

"Tyson and Daichi are pigs.'' Kai replies.

"Noted. I'll get my slices as quickly as possible, then.'' I laugh.

Hillary comes back quickly and announces that the pizza will be there in 30-40 minutes.

While we wait, the group of bladers talk about the prelims and revisit their strategies and their gameplays. Kai joins them to discuss training and improving their skills. Kenny also gives input on the mechanics of their blades. It was interesting to hear pros schedule and plan things out; it shows their dedication and passion.

"So Hillary, how did you join the team?'' I ask her, trying to create light conversation while the boys talk.

"That's a long story. Kenny and I got kidnapped by a group of crazy scientists who plotted against the bladebreakers back in the day. Tyson saved us, of course. I met the other guys later one. Since then, I've been stuck with them.'' She answers.

"Sounds like a good time to me." I say sarcastically. Kidnapping? Seriously?

"Yeah, it's been a wild ride. Those guys always end up in the weirdest situations and attract all sorts of trouble. But in the end, it only brought us closer.'' She continues as she looked tenderly at the group, although I did see that she was mostly focusing her attention on Tyson.

 _''_ _Interesting…''_ I think.

''So do you Beyblade?'' she asks me.

"Nah… I mean I never tried. I'm not really good at sports, so I would probably suck at it anyway. But I like watching. My friend is the President of the Beyblade Club at school and I get to watch."

"I totally understand. I tried once and it was a disaster!'' Hillary replies with a chuckle.

"So I'm guessing your job is to keep these guys in line, right?" I ask her.

"You got that right! Someone has to be the voice of reason in this team.'' She laughs and smiles.

We continue making small talk as the guys still talk about Beyblade and wait for the pizza to arrive. We mostly talked about little things, like school and common interest. Turns out that we both like to read.

" _The Iliad_?" Hillary asks as I mention the book I was reading.

"It's an old book. It dates back to Ancient Greece; it's about the Trojan War. You know about Achilles?'' I reply.

"Yes I do.'' She says, clearly intrigued.

"Well, this is his story! It's a collection of Greek poems and legends about the war. It's pretty awesome and full of action.''

"Wow! I never heard of it before… Sounds good!'' She exclaims.

"I can borrow you the book when I'm done if you want.'' I tell her with a shy smile

She nods and gives me a bright smile. I'm glad we found a common ground and we're on good terms now. She seemed reluctant at first.

Finally, we hear Gramps calling us out for us to get the pizza that just arrived. Tyson and Daichi were the first to bolt out to get the 3 boxes, fighting over who would get the first slice.

We all eat quietly, sitting in a circle with the boxes and drinks in the middle. Everyone seemed pretty hungry, so no one said a word until we had our share of pizza. As we finish eating Kenny abruptly gets up:

"Alright guys, time to get serious," he says "Now that we're officially in the championships, we need a game plan. "

"You're right, Chief. We haven't competed in 2 years. We haven't really trained seriously. " Ray agrees.

"We were probably lucky today, we only got amateurs " adds Max "Who knows who we'll face this time."

"We can count on the All Stars and the White Tigers X to compete,'' says Kenny "But any guess is right on who else will compete… We need to get ready!"

"No sweat guys! We beat them once, we'll beat them again.'' Says Daichi confidently.

"Get real, Daichi," argues Tyson "I'm the world champion and even I know we need practice."

"So, what's the plan?" asks Hillary.

Then all eyes turn to Kai, looking for guidance and advice from their newly elected coach. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes as if thinking for a solution. The room was quiet for several seconds.

"A training camp," he finally suggests, "we need to focus all our strength and energy on improving and getting back into shape. Lord knows you bunch need it."

"Oh like we did with Hiro back then,'' says Hillary, " a long weekend in the forest where all we can do in concentrate on Beyblade and teambuilding."

"You guys did that? Sounds like fun." Max smiles.

" Yeah, except for the part where we got lost and got stuck in a forest fire." Sighs Daichi.

"We survived, didn't we?" returns Tyson.

"Well, I'm all for this plan,'' Kenny cuts in, "all those in favor, raise their hand.''

Everyone in the group raised their hand simultaneously, all agreeing on the plan for the training camp.

"I guess it's decided; training camp next weekend!" Tyson cheers

"We can ask Gramps and Mr. Dickenson if they want to come with us.'' Suggests Ray.

"I'll send Mr. Dickenson an email right this instance." Kenny says as he types on his laptop.

"I can reserve the bus and camping ground tomorrow.'' Hillary says.

" I can bring some camping gear from my dad's shop.'' Volunteers Max.

" I'll take care of the food." Adds Ray.

Seeing them work as one was amazing. You can obviously see the bond that they share. I was a little bit jealous, missing my friends from my old town. We would always plan things like this; going camping, visiting a new city, going on adventures… I sure miss those days.

" Hey, you want to come?" Hillary asks me suddenly.

"Come?''

"To the training camp.'' She specifies.

"Hum… I don't know. I don't think-''

"You should totally come,'' Tyson cuts in, "You're learning all about beyblading, right?"

"Well, I like learning about it, but-''

"Yeah you should come,'' Ray agrees, "We need all the help we can get."

"And I'm sure Kai would like to have you around." Adds Max teasingly, winking at me.

Blushing at Max's comment, I turn to Kai looking for some sort of confirmation; to make sure that I am welcomed for the trip. I'm surprised that he is also lightly blushing at what Max said but trying to still look serious and unphased.

" You can come as long as you don't interfere with their training.'' He says as he avoided my gaze.

I smile and nod at him, happy that I was included. Everyone accepted me with open arms and were all excited to have a new member joining their group.

* * *

It was already pretty late when we finished planning out our next weekend at the training camp. I could see that many futons were laid out in the room, indicating that most of the group was sleeping over at Tyson's.

"You can crash here, home girl. " Gramps says as he sees me getting ready to go back home.

"It's cool, Gramps. I need to get home to feed my cat." I tell him as I tie my shoes.

"Alright! See you later, then.'' He waves at me.

"See you! Take care.'' I wave back.

As I walk towards the front gate, I see Kai leaning against it, as if waiting for me.

"You can stay," I tell him "I can get home by myself."

"You, walking alone at night in a place you barely know?'' he teases me as he straighten himself as start following me out the gate.

"I'm not that helpless. You scared that something might happen to me?" I tease back.

He says nothing, but smirks as we continue walking towards the bus stop.

We mostly stay silent as we ride the bus and metro back into the city. I stare out the window to enjoy the view of the city lights and buildings.

 _"I don't think I'll ever get used to this city."_ I think sadly, missing my old town.

Some time goes back until we get to the metro station closest to my place. Even thought only 2 blocks ways, Kai seems persistent to escort me back to my home.

 _"Chivalry isn't dead, I guess."_

"Actually, want to see the cats? I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, she hasn't seen you in almost a week!" I suggest to Kai.

"Sure." He replies with a soft smile and tender eyes.

We go up the elevator and back to my condo. For once I was happy that my parents weren't home; having a guy home would have been awkward. As I unlock the door, I can hear the cat meowing loudly, knowing I was home.

I open the door and the cat bolts out as she realizes Kai is with me. She rubs up against his legs and purrs loudly. She even gets up on her hind legs, stretching her arms on his leg, begging to be held. Kai chuckles at this, but complies by picking her up and holding her in his arms. She was so tiny compared to him!

"Someone is happy to see you.'' I tell him as I laugh.

The cat only meows in agreement as she rubs her face against his while purring. Kai only returns the gesture by giving her kisses all over her face. The whole thing was too cute for words. All I could do was smile. He truly loves this cat.

I invite Kai to come in so he could also go see the kittens. As we walk into the living room, cat still in his arms, we could see the kittens all huddled up and wiggling all over the place. They all had string attached around their necks to identify them, something I did to tell them apart. The cat jumps out of Kai's arms and goes to stand over her babies and give them licks here and there.

"If you don't mind, I named them. I was tired of calling them Jellybean 1,2,3,4,5 and 6. " I chuckle as I pet the tuxedo kitten gently.

"What did you name them?" Kai asks.

"Spot, Patches, Stripe, Socks, Dot and Onyx." I point them out.

"So original.'' He rolls his eyes as he smirks.

"Shut up! I'd like to see you try!" I laugh out as I punch his arm playfully.

"What about her?" Kai mentions the cat.

"Well, I was thinking that since you found her, you should name her." I tell him. I actually tried to name her, but felt as if it wasn't my place to do so.

He looks at her for a moment, thinking about what would suit her best. It took several minutes before thinking of one.

"How about Luna?" he finally breaks the silence with a suggestion.

I look at the cat for closer inspection; she does have eyes that shine like twin moons.

"I think that's a great name." I couldn't agree more.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello ! Sorry for the wait, I was very sick for the last 3 weeks and had to spend a lot of time recovering. However I am back to normal now, so updates will be more frequent.**

 **I had to tweak this chapter so badly, there were WAY too many references and mentions of things that date back to 2006/2007. It's also the longest chapter so far; I was thinking about splitting it in 2 but since you guys waited so long for an update, I'm leaving it as is.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it warmed my heart while I was sick and motivated me to get better faster so I could write !**

 **Enjoy :)**

 **-Justgabbe**

* * *

The week could not have gone by any slower; that's what happens when you know you have something special planned for the weekend. Friday couldn't have come any sooner. Here I was, sitting in the last class for the day. Everyone was pretty agitated since it was going to be the weekend in a couple of minutes, but I'm pretty sure my excitement overrode everyone else's.

Kai was actually not in class today, probably finalising his training schedule and helping Gramps and Mr Dickenson with preparations for the trip. No one really seems to notice his absence anyways. Only Simon and Aiden asked about it during lunch, but I played dumb and said I didn't know.

"By the way, what's the duffel bag for?'' Simon asked over lunch seeing that I was carrying it around today. All my stuff for the camp was in there.

"Spending the weekend with some friends from back home.'' I lied.

I can't imagine what would happen if I told them I was actually spending the weekend with the G-Revolutions at a training camp. Aiden would have a cow. And I can't risk the spreading of rumours if someone heard. I'm still the talk of the school and I don't want to worsen things.

As soon as the bell rang, I was the first out of class. I head to the bathroom first to change out of my uniform into some casual clothes, and then I jog out of campus to start the long trek to Tyson's place. We had all decided last Saturday that we would meet there since it's our mutual reference point.

As I walk in on the street where Tyson resides, I see a mini bus and people gathered around it. I can feel and hear the excitement from the group of people, all talking loudly and laughing joyfully.

"There she is!" I hear Hillary call out as she sees me and waves me over.

"Hey," I jog a little faster to reach them," Sorry I'm a bit late, school and all."

"We were worried that you got lost or something.'' Daichi says.

"No way,'' Tyson cuts in as he was loading his bag "the map I made her was perfect!"

I hear the window of the bus driver's side slide open beside me and see Gramps poking out his head.

"No sweat home girl, you're here now and that's what counts. Now everyone get in gear! Time to go!" He calls out to the group.

One after the other, we climb on the bus. Mr Dickenson was sitting the closest to Gramps so they could talk. Since we were only 8 people, everyone got their pick of seats but were still all sitting close to one another so they could talk comfortably. Kai was the only exception; he's sitting at the back completely with headphones in his ears.

"Hello young lady,'' Mr Dickenson says as I enter the bus, "It's nice to meet you and welcome to the team!"

"Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you and I'm glad to be included." I reply politely. He is the chairman of the BBA after all.

"Oh, no need for formality, my dear. This weekend we will be partners, we always need all the help we can get with this bunch.'' says Mr Dickenson with a laugh.

"No worries, I'll help with whatever I can with."

The roar of the engine signals our departure and I find a seat next to Hillary who was currently bickering with Tyson and Daichi. Daichi couldn't sit and was bouncing around in his seat excitedly and Tyson was digging into a huge bag of chips. Kenny was typing away on his laptop as usual. Max and Ray were currently sharing a snack and talking casually. Kai was still listening to music as he watches the scenery go by. I decided to the same as him as I pull out my phone from my bag and start a random playlist.

The bus was already out of the city and was rolling on the highway. The high buildings and the hustle and bustle were fading slowly. We passed many suburbs and smaller neighbourhoods. We were soon surrounded by large farming fields and nature.

The bus takes a random exit and drives through a small farming village to get to a specific off-the-road street to a beaten path and a large forest greeted us as we penetrate it. Again, specific turns are made and we finally arrive at a beautiful clearing with a lake.

Camp Minogami it's called as I see the sign on the small cabin. The cabin was at the far left of the clearing that has beautiful lush green grass and a stone settlement for building a fire with large stumps around it. The trees surrounding it are big, strong and cast a pleasant shadow over the clearing.

We all get off, Daichi running out first to jump around excitedly, going on about how it looked like where he lives. Kenny and Hillary go check out the cabin to see what was inside while the rest of us were unloading our luggage and equipment.

"Ok guys! The cabin has 2 beds and a toilet like it said it would on the website." Kenny calls out as he leaves the cabin.

"But no shower or bath… We have to wash up in the lake…" Hillary adds with a bit of disgust and disappointment in her voice.

"I hope the water isn't too cold…'' Tyson adds.

"Everyone brought bathing suits, right?" Max asks.

No one said otherwise, so we continue to unpack and to plan out what to do.

"So we can agree that Gramps and Mr Dickenson get the cabin? How many tents do we have to set up?" Hillary takes charge.

"Just 2," Max replies as he points them out beside the bus, "I can set them up."

"Great," Hillary says as she turns to Tyson and Daichi, "can you guys gather firewood? It's almost time for dinner. So, we might as well build a fire now."

"Whatever you say, boss.'' Tyson says mockingly as he turns towards the forest. Daichi runs ahead of him, clearly more excited than Tyson was about gathering firewood,

"I'll try starting up a fire meanwhile,'' Ray says as he finds newspaper and matches in the equipment, "there's some wood left. I can start whipping up some food after.''

"Do we need fresh water," I ask "I could go filter some from the lake if we need it."

"I think I saw the water filter and the jugs in the back." Max tells me as he gathers the tents over his shoulder. Kai quietly follows him to help him set up.

"On it!" I reply and run back to the bus to get the supplies.

We all calmly but quickly set up camp before the last rays of the sun disappears behind the line of trees. As soon as the fire is up and running, Ray starts cooking dinner. Max and Kai get the tents up and as soon as that's done, Kenny and Hillary bring their stuff inside one of them. Tyson and Daichi return with arms full of branches and scraps of wood. I fill up 2 huge jugs of purified water from the lake and roll them toward camp.

At one point, Mr Dickenson points out that there is firewood lining up behind the cabin with an axe to cut them up. Instead of going back into the woods, Tyson and Daichi cut up some of that firewood to bring back to their pile of collected branches.

When everything was set up, the sun was already set and the stars were making their appearance. We all ate the excellent meal that Ray made for us and leisurely talked around the fire. Gramps and Mr Dickenson both retired for the night after the meal and went back to the cabin. Hillary and I decided to bathe in the lake while the guys were either busy setting up their sleeping bags in the tents or brushing their teeth before bed. She and I had enough privacy to wash in peace.

I think it was decided unconsciously who would sleep with who in the 2 tents. Both tents could hold up to 3 people but everyone knows with enough squeezing in and snuggling up with the people you're going to sleep with, they could fit 4 people.

Max had already set up his sleeping bag in one of the tents after he set up and Ray had set up his beside Max's in-between starting the fire and cooking dinner. Tyson just decided to set up in the tent with the least people. And where Tyson goes, Daichi never fails to follow him.

It's a no brainer for Hillary and me to be in the same tent, seeing as we are 2 girls. And since Kenny mostly hangs out with Hillary, I sort of expected him to be with us too. But I'm still shocked that Kai was our 4th tent member. I mean, yeah sure, he's my friend and he's known Hillary and Kenny for years. I don't know, it was awkward for me. And what made it worse is that he set up his sleeping bag right next to mine.

I can hear Daichi loud snoring and quiet whispers coming from the other tent. Kenny and Hillary were already fast asleep, both facing away from me. And here I am, trying to sleep too, but all I could feel is embarrassment because Kai was just soo close to me. I blush when I feel Kai's body and his heat against my back as he moves in his sleep.

It's going to be a long night!

* * *

I wake up with a start to the sound of multiple screams. I look nervously around me and realise that I'm the only one in the tent. I quickly get dressed and wrap a large blanket around me to brave the cool morning breeze. I get out to see Hillary and Kenny quickly preparing breakfast: scrambled eggs and sausages.

"What's going on?" I ask the two of them with a groggy voice and crusty eyes to match.

Hillary just points towards the lake with a bored expression on her face as she continues to cook.

I look over to the lake where I see Kai standing on the beach overlooking 4 figures that are swimming in the lake. I put one and one together.

"Wow… That's some sick torture right there." I say as I watch the 4 boys doing laps in the cold lake at 7am in the morning.

"Kai caught them while they were bathing.'' Kenny adds.

"Happy I decided to bathe last night," I reply, "When did they start?"

"About 30 minutes ago.'' Hillary says.

I sit down on one of the stumps to watch the whole ordeal go down. Kai screaming orders, Tyson and Daichi complaining while Ray and Max just endure, Kai giving extra laps for insubordination. It was pretty funny to watch.

"I have to admit, swimming is a great idea for building arm and leg strength and overall endurance." Kenny comments as he also watches.

"It's good for controlling your breathing too." I say.

We hear the door of the cabin open and Mr Dickenson and Gramps get out equipped with fishing rods and all the gear that goes with it.

"Hey dudes! Since y'all are going to be busy with training, Mr D and I decided to go fishing for the day!" Gramps yells out to us.

"Yes, you kids have fun! We'll be back by sundown!" Mr Dickenson adds.

"Do you want breakfast?" Hillary asks the 2 men as they head towards the forest.

"No worries, girlie. We have protein bars to snack on!" Gramps replies over his shoulder.

Pretty soon, both men were out of sight, only hearing their loud talking and laughing.

The boys continue swimming laps in the lake for another 30 minutes before coming back to shore shaking from the cold morning breeze but they all wrap themselves in their towels that were on shore.

"Jeez Kai, you couldn't wait a couple of minutes! We were barely awake!" I hear Tyson saying in the distance

"If you thought this trip would be a nice little vacation, then you thought wrong." Kai replies in an assertive tone as he folds his arms.

"That water sure was cold…'' says Max as he wipes the water off his body.

"Yeah, Kai, we didn't have breakfast yet!" Daichi protests as he shivers violently.

"Look, if you want someone else to coach you, I'll gladly step down,'' Kai threatens in a very serious tone, "But say goodbye to your chances of winning first place."

"Don't mind them Kai," Ray interjects, "They're just whining because they haven't practice in a long time."

Kai only sighs in discouragement before turning back towards camp, leaving the others behind to dry and whine in peace. He passes Hillary and Kenny who were slowly serving breakfast into different plates and sits down on the tree stump beside me.

"Morning!" I greet him with a toothy grin on my face, still half awake.

"Good morning," He replies as he takes a cup of coffee that was made in advance with a kettle over the fire.

"So, what's on the menu for today, Drill Sergeant?" I jokingly ask him.

"Jeez, don't encourage him!" I hear Tyson say as he reaches camp and grabs a plate of food.

"Knowing Kai, he probably has the day planned out already," Max remarks to Tyson as he too sits down and grabs food.

"Tyson, can you be a bit more grateful to Kai? He didn't have to be your coach, you know?" Hillary tells Tyson in an annoyed tone.

"Guys, please, not so early in the morning," Kenny pleads to the two bickering teens.

"Well, I'm excited. After this, we'll be right on our way to win the championships," Ray says to light up the mood.

"Yeah baby!" Tyson agrees with his mouth full of food.

I smile to everyone and their banter as I drink coffee and eat quietly. It was fun to be surrounded by so many people who cared about each other. It sadly reminded me of when I was back in my old home with my friends. I was genuinely happy to be doing something like this after so many weeks of being friendless. Shaking off my sadness, I turn to Kai to see him slowly sipping his coffee and eating.

"Thank you for bringing me with you." I suddenly tell him, thinking out loud. I sort of regret saying it now… But I stand my ground as I look at him in the eyes.

Kai turns to me with a surprised look on his face at my honest statement. His eyes were bright in the morning sun and his pale skin was practically glowing. Our eyes meet for a millisecond before he turns away and mutters a quiet "you're welcome" for only me to hear.

The rest of the morning was dedicated to training the team's bodies. First, there was the 2-mile run/hike in the woods. Then, there were the drills that included burpees, jump rope, push-ups, planks, jumps squats and many other exercises. There was also some weightlifting with nearby rocks and/or stumps.

In the afternoon, the training was strictly beyblade related. Kai paid special attention to each teammate; knowing their strengths, weaknesses and fighting styles, he could tailor specific advice and strategies to each of them. Finally, it was time for them to put that advice to test by beybattling.

Tyson and Daichi go first. Their beyblades clash and smash against each other relentlessly. Both of them are not giving in and are seriously battling. Suddenly they call out something unfamiliar to me and a flash of light comes out of both their blades. I was then face to face with 2 dragons. One was blue with huge claws; the other one was yellow and had enormous wings.

"Am I crazy or are there 2 giant dragons fighting in the sky?" I ask as I watch them fight over Tyson and Daichi.

"Wait, you can see them?" Kenny exclaims, shocked over what I said.

"What no way? It took me so long before I could see them!" adds Hillary who is just as surprised as Kenny.

"So I'm not crazy?' I ask again.

"Maybe you are a little crazy." I can hear Kai chuckling in front of me as he turns his head to look at me over his shoulders with a smug smirk on his face. Surprised by his joke, I just pull out my tongue at him.

"Nah don't worry, those are just bit beasts." Max reassures me as he chuckles at Kai's little joke and my reaction to it.

"Bit Beasts?" I repeat, not entirely sure what he was talking about.

"A Bit Beast is a powerful animal spirit that can inhabit a beyblade. There are Bit Beasts that come in different shapes and sizes and have different attacks, " Kenny clarifies as he explains it to me, "they provide beyblades with a spirit within it, making it more than just a regular spinning top.''

"So, not everyone who has a beyblade has a Bit Beast?" I ask.

"Only a handful of people have Bit Beasts. They are usually chosen by the Bit Beasts themselves." Ray replies.

"Do all of you have them? A Bit Beast I mean?" I question again.

"Yup! We do!" Max answers very proudly.

I eye both Ray and Max with both shock and amazement. I never knew something like that could exist. It feels like something out of a comic book or a manga. I turn back to look at Tyson's and Daichi's match and examine the beasts fighting. The beyblades moves matches almost all of the beasts' actions. They battle it out ferociously for dominance. Before long, they disappear and the beyblades both retreat into the hands of their masters. Max and Ray were up next. Both of them also called out their bit beasts while battling. Max's was a huge land turtle with a hard black shell and Ray's was a white tiger with long teeth.

I could still not believe that things like this existed. It also made me think about the sport; people who have bit beasts have a serious advantage in battles. No wonder these guys were the best! But does that mean others have bit beasts too? I look to Kai and wonder what his own bit beast looks like.

"Kai doesn't really uses his anymore," Kenny says as he sees me eye Kai, "He stopped beyblading after his last battle."

"Yeah, he was pretty beat up. His blade was all wrecked too." Hillary adds.

"He had a rematch with Tyson for fun after that, but he's retired for good now." Kenny finishes.

For the reminder of the day, I can't stop looking at Kai. I can't help but to wonder how it feels to give up on your passion, on your daily livelihood. Does he miss it? I also can't help to notice that his eyes reflect an unidentifiable feeling as he watches the others practice and beybattle together.

* * *

I felt very cold when I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. I can still hear crickets and frogs sing their nocturnal song. I look to Hillary and Kenny who are both off to dreamland. I realise that Kai was missing. I wait for a while to see if he would come back but after a couple of minutes, I put on my hoodie, drape a blanket around me and put on my shoes to go find him.

The cold air hits me hard as I get out and quickly put the blanket over my head to protect my ears. The boys in the other tent seem fast asleep too since I could hear 2 distinct snores and no other noise was coming from it. We all called it a day pretty early, since we were all exhausted.

I scan the clearing to find Kai by the beach that surrounds the lake, skipping stones silently. I slowly come up to him to not scare him and clear my throat to let him know I was there.

"Hey," I say lazily, "what's up? Can't sleep?"

"Yeah, something like that." He replies seriously.

I come up to his side and grab one of the many stones beneath my feet. I examine it for a while before throwing it in the lake.

"I suck at skipping stones, I never could do it." I tell him nervously, trying to strike up a discussion, "I don't have that wrist flicking technique."

He still concentrates on throwing the stones, ignoring my nervousness and me. He makes one stone skip 6 times.

"You miss beyblading, don't you?" A rhetorical question, but I ask it honestly. I can still recall the look he had on his face when he saw the rest of the gang all laughing and having fun together as they trained.

His lips drop into a barely noticeable pout and his eyes narrow slightly, but he still chooses to skip stones rather than talk.

"I know it's not my place to ask but… Why did you stop?" I ask hesitantly.

He pauses for a moment before turning towards me with the same look on his face. The gentle breeze made his hair dance in a most elegant way and his dark crimson eyes shone brightly under the light of the moon. This moment was so mesmerizing and his seriousness only made it more intense.

"I made a promise to someone after my last true beybattle. For them to be free."

"Are you… Are you talking about your bit beast?" I guess as I recall the conversation I had with Kenny.

"Yeah." He replies as he turns his head to look over the lake.

"But… Aren't they still by your side?" I question hesitantly

He reaches into his back pocket to grab his beyblade and looks at it with that same intensity. His eyes reflected so many emotions at once, clearly trying to understand why it was still there even though he hasn't broken his promise.

"Maybe they're still with you for a reason," I suggest, " maybe they really like you and they just don't want to leave you." I add chuckling, trying to lighten up the mood.

A long silence goes by as I wait to see what Kai would do but he glares at his beyblade with that look. The night breeze caresses his pale skin and the moon basks him in a lovely light. He then pockets his beyblade and goes to sit on an abandoned log on the beach. I mirror his action.

"Tell me, what do they look like?" I say to break the silence between us.

He looks to me with a surprised look on his face, as if not really knowing what to reply. He clears his throat nervously before replying.

"Dranzer is a phoenix." He says.

"Dranzer," I think over its name, letting it sink into my memory," you know what they say about phoenixes… They never die. They rise from their ashes and begin life anew. It's an eternal circle of life."

Kai hums in agreement, looking towards the horizon beyond the lake. He was still deeply pondering over his situation with his bit beast that remained with him. I study his face once again. He had removed his twin stripes on his cheeks and you could see some scars on his face. He had a small sharp nose and a strong jaw line. I also notice how full his eyelashes are and how plump his lower lip is. Sure, this guy is sought out after many women but for the first time, I realized that he is beautiful.

I suddenly shiver as a particularly cold breeze washes over me. Kai notices as he turns his head towards me.

"Maybe we should go back, we need to get some sleep." I suggest.

Kai only nods and gets up. I do the same and we head back towards the tent together. We settle ourselves in our sleeping bags and without a word, we go to sleep.

At some point during the night, I woke up again. I open my eyes to see that I was face to face with Kai. He was sleeping peacefully with one arm under my head and the other wrapped around my hip. I madly blush at this, unable to control my emotions. Yet, I couldn't help but to move closer to him and to wrap my own arm around his hip before going back to sleep. _What am I doing ?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone :) I just wanted to make a shout out to Me over Matter and Jchibi28 ; thank you for your lovely reviews !**

 **I also wanted your opinion on the rating of this story, wondering if I should keep it the same rating : do you guys want to step up the rating up to M ? Would you be ok with it if I did ? I'm doing some sort of preview here but I'm not sure yet. Tell me what you think, please !**

 **-Justgabbe**

* * *

That next day we woke up simultaneously as Daichi let out a particularly loud snore. We were tightly embracing each other, legs interlocked and hands holding one another. Shocked and embarrassed, we both separated in haste.

Let's just say things got awkward from that point.

Most of the last day at the training camp, we purposely avoided each other. Kai was very subtle and made it look effortless, acting as if nothing happened. Meanwhile, I was clumsier than usual; I became very nervous around him and stuttered my words frequently when the others talked to me. I also tripped a lot.

I was really, really happy to get home that night, not because the camp wasn't fun, but because of what I did. I'm cringing at the thought of how I acted today.

"How was your weekend, Hun?" mom asks as I got home.

"Good and weird." I sigh as I flop on the couch to pet the kittens.

"Weird?" Mom repeated.

"Long story." I say to not worry her.

"Boy troubles?" She asks with a devilish smile on her face.

"What? How can you know that?" I exclaim in outrage.

"Moms just know, moms just know." She says.

I sigh loudly as I admit defeat as the kittens wiggle and climb clumsily onto my lap. I stare at the ceiling as I recall how it felt waking in Kai's warm and strong embrace. How his hard body felt against mine, how his breath fanned over my skin. I also remembered his dark crimson looking at me, not being able to read them. I wonder what he thought about at that moment?

* * *

Things are still awkward.

This week, Kai pretty much decided that I didn't exist anymore. No light chatting, no sarcastic jokes, no help with math, no hanging out at lunch, no subtle smirks, no quick glances, no nothing! Nothing, nada, nyet! And I have to sit next to him!

And I am seriously getting pissed about it.

I mean we were just cuddling for god sakes! It's not like we did something forbidden or outrageous. Both Kenny and Hillary were still asleep, so no one saw. Yes, I have to admit that I acted like a fool that last day, but it wasn't THAT bad… Was it?

"Hello? Earth to Apollo 13? Do you read?" Simon says as he places a hand on my shoulder.

"Jeez don't do that!" I snap at him as he surprised me and scared me out of my reveries.

"What the hell has got into you?" He snaps back.

"Sorry, I'm a mess." I sigh heavily as I hit my head on the lunch table.

"No kidding." He says ironically.

"Something happened with Kai?" Aiden suddenly asks.

"How do you know?" I mutter to the table.

"Kind of obvious… He's totally ignoring you." Simon laughs.

"Things are awkward." I simply reply, not saying more.

"Have you tried talking to him in private?" Aiden asks.

"Given he treats me as if I don't exist, I doubt he wants to talk to me in any case." I sigh again as I lift my head from the table to answer him.

"I don't know, I think it's worth a try." Suggests Aiden anyways.

I sigh once more and bring back my head to the table. But he was right, I should try.

Yet the thought of it made me feel weird for some reason.

* * *

 _It was so warm. It felt so good. I had no idea what this feeling is but I never wanted it to stop. It was as if I was wrapped in silk and chocolate all at once. All I could see was pink and. All I could do is gasp and sigh in pleasure._

 _Then it became red._

 _Gentle flames enveloped my body; creating a slow burn from my head to my toes, smoke clouding my senses, breathing in the lustrous fumes._

 _I could see a figure coming towards me, slow and enticing. A hard, toned and naked body stalking me like prey. I shiver in anticipation, mouth watering at the sight of the stranger, impatiently waiting for his next move._

 _I suddenly feel fingers gliding over my body and giving me electric shocks in their wake. His hands were warm to soft to the touch, yet forceful in their exploration. They touched me in ways I've never imagined before. A wet and eager tongue joined in and attached itself to my neck, sucking all those sensitive spots I never knew existed._

 _As I moan out in ecstasy, I finally look into the eyes of this wonderful figure only to stare straight into Kai's familiar intense crimson eyes._

I open my eyes in shock, the weight of my blanket surrounding me. The darkness of my bedroom greeted me. Luna is sleeping soundly at the foot of my bed. I'm covered in sweat and I'm gasping for air. I slowly get up and go to the bathroom and I decide to take a cold shower.

I don't know what happened and I don't know what kind of dream that was but I think I liked it.

* * *

Never have I felt so self-conscious about my feelings and how my body reacted to them. That dream keeps haunting me day and night, trying to make sense of it and just itching to be thought about.

It also made me that much more awkward around Kai. I can never look at him the same way. The way I saw him in that dream was almost criminal; the way he moved, the way he touched me, the way he kissed me, the way he looked me… Just thinking about it makes me warm all over. So, I started to ignore him just as he ignored me, for my sake only.

Another week passed like this, both giving each other the cold shoulder. Life went on as if like nothing happened like we never met or spoke before. Our time together with the cats, at Tyson's place and at the training camp seemed like distant memories. However, all I could feel was sadness out of all of this.

Why am I feeling this way ? Why am I feeling as if I'm missing something ?

* * *

It was a bright and calm Wednesday morning in history class. It was the last period before lunch break, only minutes before the bell would ring.

The teacher was passing out in each row a page with an assignment printed on it. Everyone was distributing the pages among themselves. As I reach for my copy, I feel a large hand hover over mine. Electric shocks went through me.

This is the same hand from my dream.

I gasp as I turn my head to the left to look into the same eyes that haunted me everyday. And they were staring at me with that same intensity. Kai's eyes we're as wide as mine, his mouth slightly parted; his full lips shining in the morning light and his tongue gliding over his lower lip. The same mouth that made me feel those things in that dream. His expression, his face was the identical to the one I saw that night.

Then, the bell rang.

And in a second, his face went back to its serious and stern mask as he abruptly gets up and leaves the room in haste, not even me giving me a second glance.

And that's when I realised that I was definitely attracted to Kai. And that feeling I felt was a blooming bud of love. That's what I was missing. The love I feel for him is the reason why I feel this way around him and the reason for my sadness is that I miss him and that I want him to come back to me; for him to fill the empty space he left when he decided to ignore me.

Did it really take me 2 weeks to figure this out?

Without thinking I get up as quickly as I can to follow him. I can't just leave it at that. I had to do something. I don't even care at this point of what he thinks of me, I just had to know what and how he feels. To know why he's ignoring me.

I logically head to the place where all serious and loner types hang out: the roof.

I hurry up the stairs to the roof, impatient with myself for not being faster even when adrenaline was pumping through my veins. I wanted to get this over with.

I push the door hastily and run out to find him as soon as possible; I see him leaning against the fence circling the roof. He had his arm crossed and was deep in thought, I wonder if he heard me.

"Kai!" I call out to him as I march towards him.

I'm sweating, my hands are shaking, my heart is beating hard and my legs are screaming for me to stop but I had to do this or else, I will regret it for the rest of my life. I just know it.

As I walk in his direction he opens his eyes, still as serious and intense as ever, and uncrosses his arms as if indicating that he's acknowledging me. I become even more nervous, knowing that he's finally listening to me.

I stop mere inches from him. We stare each other down; he's completely void of any emotion, making me feel uncomfortable. But I have to take matters into my own hands.

"What the hell are we doing," I finally say after several minutes of silence "are you seriously ignoring me over some cuddling?"

He simply sighs and turns his head to avoid my gaze.

"I'm sorry if I made things weird but are we really going to stop being friends because of something like this?" I add in a frustrated tone. I take a deep breath to continue my tirade:

"I don't care about what happened and I don't care about what we feel about it, I don't want to sacrifice our friendship!"

"It's not what you think it is!" He finally retaliates.

"Then what is it? Is it me? Am I that hard to be around with? Am I not good enough to be friends with Kai Hiwatari?" I add as I feel tears well up in my eyes out of anger.

I see his eyes widen; out of shock, out of outrage, I don't know. But my words clearly had an effect on him. He was frozen in place. Instincts kicked in and they were telling me to just turn and run, to just let the tears run free. At least I got some sort of answer.

I was ready to turn and run until I feel Kai walk up to me, closing the space between him and me. I feel strong arms wrap tightly around me and a hard chest press up against mine. It was my turn to be shocked.

We stay like this for several minutes. I didn't dare to move or say anything. I could feel as if Kai wanted to say something but was trying to find his voice or the right words. I could feel his breath on my neck as he hugged me tightly against his body. I waited patiently.

"It's not what you think, …" He repeats in a soft whisper in my ear.

I shiver as his breath ghosts over my ear. Yet, I gather up my courage as I slowly and hesitantly hug him back, making him seize up it slightly.

"What is it?" I ask him just as softly, afraid to scare him away.

"I don't want to hurt you." He replies in a sad tone.

"What?" I slowly untighten my hold on him and look at him with a questioning look.

"I've never felt this way before…" He says quietly as if still unsure what to say.

I try to understand how he might feel. This guy has a reputation of being serious, cold, stern and aloof. Yet here he was, trying to understand what he's feeling about this developing relationship, whether it's friendship or something else. I can see how uncertain he was about all of this, afraid to bring down his walls. If his face and eyes are any indications, he's definitely trying his best.

I lift myself to the tip of my toes to press my forehead to his to get his attention. He looks at me curiously.

"Hey, I'm new at this too," I reassure him, "we don't need to label what's going on and we definitely don't need to push ourselves into…" I drift off, also unsure what to call this whole thing.

"Just be chill!" I chuckle out, trying to lighten the mood.

He looks at me with an incredulous before a smirk graces lips and lets out a small chuckle of his own. He untightens his hold on me as I step out of his embrace, smiling at him brightly to reassure him again.

"Just come back to me?" I ask him as I take his hand into mine. His hand was so much bigger than mine, long and stronger fingers enveloping my own.

He gives me a small smile before he guides me to the door back to the stairs.

At least I got my answer, at least I won't regret it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Guess who's back, back again ?**

 **No seriously, I have no excuse for making you guys wait. I'm sorry :(**

 **However, I was accpeted into a Masters program and moved to a new city (YAY!)**

 **So here you have it: a nice, long and juicy chapter. I will post another one this weekend as soon as it's done. Stay tuned!**

 **Thank you all for the love and support, looking to hearing from you all.**

 **-Justgabbe**

* * *

Things are still awkward.

I mean things have gone back to what they were before; we're back to hanging out, talking, being sassy to each other…but with tiny, miniscule adjustments…

Oh yes, I see that plump lower lip on that chiselled face.

I see that sinful neckline and structured collarbone that peaks under that shirt.

Let's not forget those strong hands and muscular arms when you roll up your sleeves when you focus intently on something.

And your beautiful crimson eyes that are looking into mine…

"Ahem" Kai clears his throat, annoyed that I was shamelessly staring at him and not paying attention to the math assignment.

I snap out of my thoughts and proceed to blush, rushing through my notebook as if to cover up what I did. From the corner on my eye, I can see him roll his eyes and smirk just slightly.

So yeah, things are still awkward but for all the right reasons.

Of course, I can't say that were in an actual _relationship_. I think we made it clear from the beginning that we are definitely NOT boyfriend/girlfriend for obvious reasons:

1\. It would attract unnecessary attention from the students at the school;

2\. I don't want to be murdered by the members of Kai's fan club;

3\. Kai also doesn't want me to be murdered by random crazy girls;

So it all comes down to me not getting killed and us having our privacy. That simple.

And it's not like we're in a rush or anything. Kai is still uncomfortable with the whole thing; not us being together per say but him coming out of his cold, loner tendencies. I can imagine how hard it is for him to get attached to someone so quickly after all these years. After, we've only met around 2 months ago.

Still focused on the math problem in front of him, I discreetly get my cellphone out of my desk and send him a text message. After sending it, I quickly hide it away and lean back, waiting for the magic to happen.

I hear the sound of his phone buzzing in his pocket has he quickly reaches for it to silence it; who dares texts him during class?

 _From: That Weirdo_

 _I can't help it! You look waaay more interesting than that math problem ;)_ (3:45)

He looks at the message he received quickly and turns towards me to cast an exasperated expression. He then replies quickly:

 _From: Coach Kai_

 _This is why you're failing…_ (3:47 _)_

 _From: That Weirdo_

 _Maybe I'll do better if you tutor me :P_ (3:50)

 _From: Coach Kai_

 _You'll be sorry. I'll be as hard on you as I am on the guys when it comes to training_ (3:52)

 _From: That Weirdo_

 _Oouh be rough with me, coach Kai ;) I like it_ (3:55)

I tried so hard not to laugh when I saw his face as he read my last message. He was so predictable; that look he did when he was just done with everything, I love it!

Boy, was I glad when that bell rang.

I burst out laughing as students leave the classroom, hitting my head on my desk by accident from doubling over.

"That's what you get for texting in class," Kai says as he rolls his eyes and puts his things away in his bag.

"First of all, OW," I exclaimed as I rub my bruised forehead, "second, don't act like you don't like it! I see you, Hiwatari!"

He rolls his eyes again as gives me a smirk and puts his bag over his shoulder, ready to leave.

"You have training with the guys?" I ask him as I also gather my things.

"Yeah," he answers as he slowly walks out of class as if waiting for me to speed things up.

I catch up to him and we walk out of school together, heading towards the metro station.

"Hillary told me to come help her with something… I think it's about the day-to-day schedule once you're all abroad for the championships. You know, so you don't get distracted." I tell him as we board the train that heads to Tyson's place.

"I'm not the one she should be worried about, it's the others that get in trouble." Kai retorts in a serious tone, vexed.

The train was very crowded, right in the middle of rush hour where students and workers head home. All the seats were taken and we had no choice but to huddle together and hang on to the railing above us.

"Hey, I didn't mean you specifically, I meant-" I drag out my word as the train started moving and people pushed up against me, making me tumble and lean against Kai for support.

"Jeez, I'm sorry! You ok?" I raise my head to ask him, worried that I hurt him.

"I'm fine." He answers, showing no emotion on his face.

As I was about to straighten myself up and bring my hand up to the railing but Kai caught it with his. He then proceeded to casual drape my hand and arm around his hip.

"You'll probably fall again if you hang on that again," he says bluntly but I could clearly see that light blush on his face as he said that.

"You're probably right," I agree with my own blush creeping up on my cheeks.

* * *

Gramps greeted us as we arrived at Tyson's place.

"Hey kiddos, how's it going?"

"Not bad, Gramps. How about you?" I ask him as I put my things down in the dojo.

Kai was already rummaging through his bag to collect his normal clothes, ready to head to the bathroom to get changed.

"I'm fine, as always! Don't worry, don't be in rush. The others just got here too." He yells out in Kai's direction, as if reassuring him that he's not late.

"Jeez, why do you have to live so far?" I ask Gramps as a joke. He simply laughs.

"The others are out on the veranda having a snack, you should join them" Gramps tells me as he leads me to them.

"Will do!" I open the door to be welcomed by a group of people still dressed in their school uniforms, all eating cake and drinking tea.

"Hey! You made it!" Max cheers as a greeting.

Just like Tyson and Kenny, he was wearing the standard black uniform that most public schools have. Although, it was obvious that they all went to the same school, adorning the same crest on their left breast pocket. Hillary also had a uniform with the same colors as the crest.

"Ugh, sorry were late, everything we took was packed." I sigh as I sit down and pour myself a cup of tea.

"No worries, I also just got here." Ray adds. He also was still dressed in his uniform from the International Chinese school in the city.

"Yeah, no need to apologize," Tyson says as he stuffed his face with cake, "this will probably be the only time we can relax before Kai lays it on us."

"Yeah," Daichi agrees as he spoke with his mouth full, "You could have stalled him a bit more!"

As he says that, Kai slide the door open; he fully dressed in his regular clothes and had equipped the twin stripes on his face. He meant business.

"Breaks over, you sloths," Kai says sternly, "Give me 10 laps around the grounds".

All the guys groan in unison as they get up to get changed and get ready to run. Kenny whips out his laptop to analyze the bladers' progress and Hillary gets her planner out of her bag.

"So, this year were going to 6 cities for the Championships," Hillary tells me as she opens her planner, "Miami, Florence, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, St-Petersburg and Tokyo."

"Impressive." I say in awe. They're so lucky to go to such amazing cities.

"Too bad we can't really visit," Kenny adds as he types away.

"Yeah, I know," Hillary sighs, "We'll be too busy with the Championship itself and training… That's why I need your help! I need a perfect balance of everything to make sure we can maximise our time."

"Alright, I can help." I reassure her.

It was almost past dinnertime that Kenny got everyone's attention for a special announcement:

"Guys! All the teams have been chosen for the championship! They're all posted on the BBA's official website."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to go see what was written on Kenny's monitor.

"Finally! We can know what were up against!" Tyson screams.

Beside Kenny, I could see the teams listed in front of me. Some were familiar, others weren't. But the ones that mattered the most to the team were there: the All Stars, White Tiger X, Blitzkrieg Boys, The Majestics, F Dynasty, The Battalion (formerly known as Bartez Battalion), Justice 5… They were all the teams that the gang mentioned to me before.

"Alright, everyone made it," Max says as he high-fived Daichi.

"Wow… This is too good to be true." Ray adds.

"I know! Everyone made it," Tyson cheers, "Aw man, this year is going to be awesome!"

"At least we know our main competition," Kenny nods in agreement.

"Yeah, but aren't those some of the best teams in the world," I cut in hesitantly, "shouldn't you guys be training harder?"

"She has a point…" Hillary agrees.

"Well boys, no time for slacking," Kai says with a twisted grin on his face, knowing fully well that he was just given an unspoken permission to make the team train harder.

All the boys signed in unison, again. They also knew that Kai had been given full reins to do whatever he wanted with them.

"C'mon guys! Fight!" I encouraged them.

Lord knows they need it now.

* * *

It was almost 9pm by the time Kai and I boarded the train to get back to the city's centre. The train was much calmer than it was earlier, giving us freedom to choose our places. I sat in a seat while Kai was standing in front of me, holding himself on the handrail above him.

"I can't believe the Championship is 2 months!" I say to break the silence between us.

Kai hums in agreement as he stares out the window, concentrating on the scenery pacing by.

"Do you think they'll be ready? The team, I mean," I ask him.

"I wish we had more time," he groans in disappointment, "They haven't competed in ages and they got lazy."

"They can't be that bad, I mean they are the best team… Right?" I reply in a worried tone.

"The other teams are also very good, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them have gotten better than them," Kai answers calmly but his eyes full of doubt.

I sigh, discouraged for Kai and the rest of the team. They already work so hard and train almost everyday. Of course, when they blade, they seem perfect to me. However, from a professional standpoint, they might lack their past edge.

"I wish I could help," I say as I look up to Kai.

Kai looks down at me with soft eyes and a warm smirk. I love it when he looks at me this way! I feel like it's only the 2 of us in the world that exist.

Of course, we haven't said anything to the rest of the team about what's going on between us. We both felt that it would be distracting and appropriate, especially with the championship coming up. We also don't want the others to worry or fawn over us.

Although, I do wish I could tell the world how much I like this guy.

As always, as we got off the train, he escorted me back to my place. I also always open the door to my place so that Luna can go see him and that they can cuddle for a bit. Good thing my parents are asleep at this hour. However, I did hint to my mom once that I _might_ be seeing someone.

 _"Please tell me it's that handsome boy!" She teased has if she was pleading me._

 _"SHHHHHH!" Is the only thing I did as I winked at her._

Anyways, she knows that we do this sometimes. I open the door when I get home, Luna runs out to meet Kai… It's no big deal, obviously.

"I really do want to help some way," I say again, "I don't like it when you worry."

Kai still has Luna in his arms as he leans in towards me.

"I'm ok," he replies, feeling his breath against my lips before he gives me a chaste kiss.

Oh man do I _really_ wish I could tell the world I like this guy.

I moan in disappointment when he removes his lips from mine, making him roll his eyes even though he is smirking. He puts Luna on the floor before squeezing my hand in his, silently wishing me a good night.

As I close the door behind me, I slump to the ground, feeling myself turn into jelly. Luna looks at me with a funny glint in her eyes.

"Hey, don't judge me," I tell her as I blush madly over the fact that Kai Hiwatari kissed me.

* * *

I wake up in the middle of the night for some reason. All I know is is that I have a brilliant idea.

I sprint out of my bed, shocking Luna in the process. I gather all my blank DVDs and turn on my computer. I get myself a cup of black tea from the kitchen and settled myself at my desk. Luna hops on my lap as I type out my search keywords on the Internet: Beyblade Commentary, 3rd World Championship, and All Stars.

* * *

I didn't sleep a wink last night, but man did I feel good! I was 100% sure that this would help the team… That it would help Kai.

Nestled in my bag were 7 different DVDs with different content on it. There is precious information on them, so precious in fact, I had to wrap them so they wouldn't scratch or break while I was travelling with them.

The day went by normally. I was so tired that I barely concentrated on work. It was only after 3rd period that Prof. Aberdeen realised how sick I looked.

"Miss," He approached me after class, before I went to lunch, "You don't look very well, are you alright?"

"Oh…Yeah! I just didn't sleep much last night." I answer, trying to look natural.

"How about you go home, just for today," The professor suggested, "No one will know… It'll be our little secret." He says with a wink.

Of course, I had to go see Kai before leaving. I did have to give my "present" after all! As always, I find him on the roof.

"Hey, I'm heading home. But I wanted to give you this," I hand him over the wrapped DVDs. Before he could ask anything else, I continue, "It's for you, and the team. I don't know if it's going to help… But try it! All you need is a TV!"

Kai gives me a sceptical look as I walk away.

"Bye! Good luck with training today!" I tell him before heading out the door, leaving him with a questionning look on his face.

* * *

By the time Kai got to Tyson's home, everyone had gathered in the courtyard and were waiting for Kai to give them instructions for today's training.

"She's not here today?" Hillary asks Kai in a worried tone.

"She had a rough night," Kai answers as he gestures everyone into Tyson's living room, "I think it has to do with this," he adds as he shows the package to the team.

"What is it?" Daichi asks curiously.

"These… Are DVDs?" Kenny says with an incredulous look on his face. He was sceptical until he saw the names on them, each were inscribed with the names of the competing teams.

"Tyson! Play this one," He almost screams as he gives him the DVD that was written _The Majestics_ on it.

"Jeez, Chief, take it easy," Max says as he chuckles with Ray over Kenny's reaction.

They all settled back on the floor and on the couch as they wait for the DVD to play. Suddenly, a bold title appeared: The Majestics, 3rd World Championship, Prelims. Then, a series of clips of different battles the team had previously were on the screen, all neatly edited to play one after the other with playbacks of key moments and commentary from a sports expert.

"Wait… Don't tell me she…" Hillary realizes before Kenny cuts her off.

"Oh my God! She gathered video of all the battles from all the teams from the last championship, edited them and categorized them!" Kenny yells out, almost hysteric.

"No way! How did she do that in one night!" Ray adds, just as surprised as Kenny.

"She did all that… For us?" Max asks in shock.

"Kai! Your friend is the best!" Tyson roars has he aggressively pats Kai's back.

"We can watch all this and analyze their strategies and their moves! This is amazing!" Hillary agrees.

"I'm getting popcorn!" says Daichi and sprints to the kitchen.

Everyone excitedly settled down more comfortably as the DVD continued playing. The others were then lined up on after the other so that they could exchange them faster. Daichi quickly brought back 2 huge bowls to share with everyone. Their evening mostly consisted of them watching the footage intently, arguing over certain plays of the battle and organizing their strategies around the different teams.

Kai still couldn't believe that she did all of this for them…

* * *

Later that night, I was woken up to the sound of my cellphone beeping, telling me I had a new text message.

I reach out for as I open it, squinting at the strong light from the screen. I select my text messages and what I saw next made my heart melt :

 _From : Coach Kai_

 _You are the most wonderful person I have ever met._ (11:35)


	13. Chapter 13

**OMG ! i'm alive ! This story is alive!**

 **2017 was a hard and busy year for me; I barely had time for myself... but 2018 is here and I have made it my personnal goal to finish this story :)**

 **This is the longest chapter to date (6000 words) ! I hope you enjoy it !**

 **You will also see that I changed the rating for this story... There will be smut ! Be warned !**

 **I also want to thank all the lovely people who reviews this story in the last years, you are all so kind ! xxx**

 **Please continue to encourage me :) there are only a few chapters left !**

 **\- Justgabbe**

* * *

Soon enough, all the flowers had finished blooming and were replaced with lush greens. Days got longer and hotter. There was no rain in sight and pants were replaced with shorts and skirts. Summer was already here.

Almost 4 months have passed since I moved to Bey City. I never expected to start over and call this place my new home. Yet, I go to school here, made new friends and have a relationship with a boy. And now, I have a job!

I decided to get one as summer break was fast approaching and I needed that extra cash; I will be graduating and going to college at some point and I knew that having some kind of fund will help me.

I work as a barista in a quaint coffee shop in a calm street downtown called Orange Pekoe. It has a very hipster vibe to it, with minimalist décor, white walls and lots of plants. The place barely sits 10 people. However, it had its perks and when I mean perks, I mean the place is across the street from the BBA Headquarters.

Not only do I get to see Mr. Dickenson everyday for his morning, and afternoon coffees, I also get to see Tyson, Ray, Max and Daichi and most importantly, Kai almost everyday when they go train at the BBA training facilities.

A month ago, I would barely see them, since they're always training for the World Championships and I would mostly study for the upcoming midterms. I also saw a lot less of Kai since he was their coach. Even at school, we barely saw each other since we had different classes ½ of the time and he would miss a lot of school to coach the guys. Of course, we barely had any intimacy and privacy, so we would rarely show each other affection. It sucked pretty badly. I missed him a lot, and I'm pretty sure he missed me too, seeing how the number of texts he sends me has gone up considerately.

So, call it destiny, fate, chance or coincidence… Everything fell into place and was able to see my friends and boyfriend again.

Not that anyone knows that though. Kai and I still haven't told anyone that we're seeing each other; our relationship was still a secret to the world… Being together is harder because of that. When we do get some time together, were either too tired or too busy talking about the championships. It's been weeks since we had a proper hug or kiss… Kai is still shy about our relationship, which also plays a role in our lack of intimacy.

Most nights, after I close the coffee shop and go home, I go to bed and think of him. Missing him, feeling lonely and somewhat heartbroken over our time apart and secrecy. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I don't. Some nights, I resent Kai, the guys or Beyblade, but mostly circumstances. However, I do pray to any God willing to listen to me, asking them to bring peace and happiness for Kai and I. All I want is to be with him.

* * *

Late Thursday morning, Mr. Dickenson came into the shop and greeted me excitedly:

"Hello sweet girl! How are you on this fine morning?"

"Not too bad! I can see that you're excited about something though?" I asked him while I prepare his usually brew: coffee with 3 creams and 3 sugars.

"Oh oh! You'll see soon enough my dear." He answers as he sits down in one of the booths and starts to read todays paper.

I bring his coffee in a to-go cup to him and I sit in front of him.

"You know you can tell me, Stanley. I'll keep it a secret if that's you're worried about." I tell him with a teasing grin and a wink.

"Aren't you a little weasel?" He laughs at me as he drinks his sweet drink.

I hear the door chimes ring as other customers come in, only it wasn't any other customers; it was the boys, along with Kenny and Hillary.

"Mr. D! What's up?" Daichi exclaims before trotting over to our table and sits beside Mr. Dickenson.

"Do you guys want anything? I can whip something up?" I ask the crowd as I get ready to stand.

"No, no dear. That won't be necessary. I have brought them here for a reason after all!" Mr. Dickenson beams at me, as the rest of the gang comes to our booth.

Max goes directly to sit beside me, giving me a warm hug and smile. Hillary and Kenny greet me as they pull up extra chairs so they could sit. Tyson push Max and me further down into the booth with a laugh. Ray is content with leaning over the backrest of the booth beside us, overlooking our table. Kai chooses to lean against the wall beside Mr. Dickenson and Daichi's seat. I flash him a quick smile and a wink, and he gives me a quick smirk in return.

"Well, everyone! I have a surprise for all of you," Mr. Dickenson finally speaks up, "since all of you are working so hard and that the championships are only a few days away, I thought a little treat is in order."

"Really, Mr. D?" Tyson asks.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense! Tell us!" Hillary says impatiently.

Mr. Dickenson lets out a boisterous laugh before letting us know what his surprise was:

"I think a little relaxation will do you all some good! How does a weekend at a historical inn and hot spring sound like?

Kenny and Hillary let out a loud gasp, while Tyson, Max and Ray high-five each other. Daichi is practically hugging Mr. Dickenson.

"But Stanley! My shifts!" I object as I look around the shop nervously.

"My Dear, you have catered to my needs time and time again since you have been working here. You even kept this shop open for me during that one evening. Think of it as me repaying you for that overtime," Mr. Dickenson explains, "Danny also know about it and has agreed to give you time off."

"Really?" I reply with a stunned tone. I never expected for my boss to give me time off since I haven't been working here very long.

"So, when are we leaving?" Ray asks.

"Tomorrow!" Mr. Dickenson declares while we cheered.

* * *

Once I got home from work, I began packing for my weekend trip immediately. I was way too excited to finally spend some time with my friends. I was also very, very looking forward to being with Kai again.

I hear a knock from my door as my mom comes in.

"Sooo, another weekend excursion with your friends?" she asks curiously.

"Yup! They're going to the championships in a week and won't be here for at least a month. This is probably the only time we can spend together before that." I explain to her.

"And is your, hum, lover going to be there?" She asks in a teasing tone.

"Mom!" I sigh. I know what's coming.

She pulls out a bag that seems to come out of nowhere and empties it's contents onto my bed. A box of condoms, a bottle of "lubrication" and a safe sex guide were laid out.

"Oh my God!" I sigh again.

"Honey, I know you're 18 and you're responsible", she starts, "People your age are sexually active and I don't expect you to not have sex. I mean, I saw the boy for heavens sake. Good for you, you go girl!"

I groan this time, fully embarrassed about my mom cheering me on about having sex with Kai.

"Just be safe ok?" She asks in a worried tone.

"Yes mum." I tell her with a deadpan expression.

I groan as I hear her laugh as she walks out my room.

* * *

We drove to the inn in Gramps and Mr. Dickenson's car, separating the group in 2 for the 2-hour journey to the inn. I mostly slept during the ride there, while Hillary and Kenny were chatting, and Kai and Mr. Dickenson kept their eyes on the road. I was happy for the peace and calmness; I can't imagine the chaos in Gramps car.

Being in the North, the inn's gardens and surroundings still had flowers and trees in bloom due to the cooler temperature. The still snowy mountains framed the small beautiful wooden inn, while there was a river flowing behind it.

The matriarch of the house greeted us while Mr. Dickenson checked us in and Gramps helped us with our luggage. Once all settled in, the men said goodbye and wished us a good and relaxing weekend.

That left us alone in an enormous Japanese style suite for the next 2 nights. The room was open and spacious, equipped with a large table that fit exactly 8 people.

Everyone started exploring; Kenny found the futons behind one screen door, while Hillary found the bathroom with a private bath and yukatas to wear. Max and Tyson found a small kitchenette with a fridge filled with food and all kinds of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Ray found the cabinet with games and cards. However, Kai made the best discovery as he slid the shoji door to the outside open to reveal our own private hot spring.

The hot spring was big enough to fit 10 people and overlooked the river and mountains. There were also 5 showers with shampoo and soap. A big barrel of sake was installed close to the hot spring that came with cups for consumption.

We all let out a happy sigh as we breathe in the cool and steamy air from outside.

"I call dibs!" Daichi suddenly yells out as he runs pass us naked, and jumps into the hot spring.

"Daichi! That's not how it works! You gotta wash first!" Tyson yells out as he stomps towards the wild child.

Max and Ray can't help but laugh out loud while Kenny and Hillary shake their heads in shame.

A knock came from outside as the matriarch slid the door open, bowing and kneeling at the door.

"Excuse me, young masters, I would like to inform you that your dinner will be served here at 7 o' clock. Till' then, please change into your yukatas and feel at home. There is also a public bath and the gardens are open to stroll in." she informs us before sliding the door shut and leaving.

We all look to each other for more explanation, but conceded to individually change out of our clothes into our yukatas in the bathroom while Tyson was forcing Daichi to shower and trying (unsuccessfully) to conceal his member from the group.

* * *

"Allriigght let's get these puppies out!' Tyson gets up from the table to walk to the kitchenette and brings out all the alcoholic drinks to the table.

We had just finished a delicious 7 course kaiseki style meal served by the matriarch of the inn. Her and the servants had cleaned up the table and had left a while ago.

"Tyson are you serious?" Ray laughs out as Tyson settles one bottle at a time.

"I'm always serious!" Tyson exclaims as he sits back down and tries to open a beer bottle.

"Should we? I mean we're not legal…" Kenny points out.

"Technically, we are." I say as I point to Kai and myself.

"Forget the legal age! What about the championships?" Hillary exclaims.

"If it's just for tonight, I don't see why we couldn't." Max responds.

"Whatever! As long as you don't come crying to me when you're hungover." Kai huffs out as he gets up and grab his own bottle of beer.

"Hell yeah! Beer!" Daichi yells out and grabs his own.

I instantly get up to get juice and soda from the fridge, so I could make cocktail blends. I pour myself a rum and coke. I make a vodka cranberry for Hillary and a gin and tonic for Kenny. All the other boys have a beer in hand.

"You guys want to play a drinking game? Like " _never have I ever_ "?" I suggested.

"What's that?" Max asks curiously as he sips his beer.

"You drink every time someone ask a statement that follows "never have I ever"," I explain, "An example: never have I ever seen a dog. If you have ever seen a dog, you drink."

"Sounds pretty easy." Kenny says.

"Okay, I'll start us off: never have I ever gotten drunk." I ask the group.

They all look at each other before Ray, Max, Tyson and Kai drink.

"Me next," Hillary is excited, " Never have I ever ditched school."

We all look at each other, laugh and drink.

"Really? I'm disappointed in all of you!" Hillary says in mock outrage.

"Never have I ever smoked." Kenny asks next.

Max and I drink this time.

"Whaaat you smoked cigarettes!" Kenny exclaims.

"Who said anything about cigarettes?" Max laughs out as I high fived him and laughed along with him.

That truly started off the game, everyone asking about alcohol, parties and drugs.

"Ok! Never have I ever… Seen someone of the opposite sex naked." Tyson asks after an hour of playing the game.

"Tyson...I think the girls saw me earlier." Daichi says as he slurs his words, obviously already drunk after 2 beers.

We all laugh out loud.

"Never have I ever seen someone of the opposite sex, that isn't Daichi, naked." Tyson corrects himself.

We all look at each other, all curious to see who would answers this one.

I was the first to drink. My friends back home were older than me, so they have shown me porn videos before, and photos of their naked boyfriends.

Then, Ray drank after me.

"No way! Whoo?" Max asks curiously.

"The game says I have to drink, not answer questions verbally." Ray says seriously.

"It's Mariah, isn't it?" Tyson says with a sly grin, daring to mention the name of the White Tiger X's female member.

"That's none of your business!" Ray yells out as he tackles Tyson to the ground and playfully wrestles him.

Kai drank next while the wrestling distracted everyone.

"Kai! I saw you! Who was it?" Kenny laughs out.

"Oh please," I interjected, giving a sly grin at Kai, "it's probably one of his many fangirls that have sent him photos of their naked bodies."

"Right on the bullseye." Kai chuckles as he takes another sip of beer.

Another hour passes by like this before Daichi gets sick from his 3 beers and passes out beside the toilet. Luckily, Tyson was strong enough to carry him. Meanwhile we laid out a futon for him to sleep in. We also put a bucket and a water bottle next to him, just in case.

"I think it's time for us to finally try this bad boy." Max says as he points out to the hot spring as we slowly winded down from the drinking game.

"Oh yeah! Trust me, the water is awesome!" Tyson agrees, referring to earlier when he went in with Daichi.

Hillary gives me a worried look.

I give a quick look over to Kai, as if looking for some sort of confirmation that this would be ok for the group to do, since he is the group's temporary supervisor.

I was shocked that he was already looking at me. He slowly took a swig of his beer as he looked into my eyes with an intense gaze; is his expression unreadable or am I not able to read this unknown glint in his carmine toned eyes? As if hypnotized, I watch his adams apple bob as he drinks, admiring his strong and pale throat. When he finishes his sip, he licks his lips as he watches me. I can't help but to mimic his action. A smirk graces his lips as he still looks at me with those eyes.

Whoa.

"I don't mind! Us guys can get clean outside and the girls can take the bathroom," Ray suggests to the group, " then we can turn around and not look when they enter the spring."

"Dang Ray, have you done this before?" Tyson teases, hitting to his earlier answer while playing never have I ever. Ray elbows him.

"I mean… If the girls are ok with it…" Kenny blushes and looks over to us shyly.

I snap out of whatever state I was in, looking away from Kai and turning my gaze to Hillary. She was deep in thought. No one seemed to notice Kai's and I little exchange.

"I mean… If the guys don't look when we get in… I guess it's fine." She decides, although still hesitant.

"The water is pretty milky with all those minerals anyway, "I reassure her, "They won't see us once inside the water."

"Let's get to it then!" Max declares as he straightens out his yukata as he gets up. The others follow after him as he opens the shoji door to the spring.

Hillary makes a nervous mad dash to the bathroom. I quickly get up to follow after her.

"I'll give a heads up for when were ready to go in." I say to the group of boys before turning the corner toward the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, I can visibly see that Hillary was freaking out.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I said yes!" She says in a shamed tone.

"I mean, don't you want to try the spring?" I ask her, trying to convince her to not back out.

"But we'll be naked in there! With boys!" She huffs out at me while pacing around the room.

"Who are your long-time friends and teammates?" I reminded her.

She just groans out and bangs her head on the wall out of embarrassment and shame.

"Look," I start rationalizing, "it's dark out there, the water is cloudy and I trust the guys to show us at least an ounce of respect to not look at us if we're bare. They're our friends right? You trust them, do you?"

"Of course!" She answers as she lifts her head from the wall.

"Then trust them with this! And I'll be there, if anything happens, which I doubt it will." I tell her confidently.

She sighs and slowly starts removing her yukata so that she can start washing up.

"You're right, I'm freaking out for nothing… I've known these guys for years; they're like brothers to me! Nothing bad will happen!"

"That's the spirit!" I encourage her as I also remove my yukata to follow her into the shower.

We quickly shower and help each other with washing our backs. We casually talk while we wash.

"I haven't done this in a long time. Taking a bath with a friend, I mean," I say to start a conversation and try to calm Hillary's nerves, "I went to an all-girl private boarding school before, so taking baths and showers with my friends was everyday life."

"You did? That sounds like fun!" Hillary says in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, it was a good time for bonding and having fun." I say and I can't help to remember those happy memories.

"Except, you we're all girls…" Hillary points out, still worried.

"Guys aren't that different from girls… The guys are probably just as nervous as you are about us seeing them naked." I laugh out and rinse my hair to get rid of the shampoo.

"Oh dear God, I'm sure Kenny is having a fit right now!" Hillary laughs, finally less tense about the whole thing.

We step out of the shower area and wrap towel around ourselves, which come down to the upper knee. Hillary ties her hair and wraps it in a headband. I leave my hair as is, because I want to enjoy the spring by ducking my head in it.

We quickly walk out of the bathroom and meet the boys at the spring. All 5 of them were already inside.

"You ladies ready? The waters awesome!" Max greets us with a big smile as he sees us.

"I'm so fucking ready for this spring." I swear out, making Max laugh.

"Ok perverts, time to look away." Ray jokes, making Tyson and Max laugh out loud.

Nonetheless, the boys did what they were told. Tyson was looking up at the sky with his eyes closed, Max, Ray and Kenny physically turned, and Kai looked to the side.

Hillary looks at me while the boys we're not watching, still slightly worried. I just shake my head and remove my towel first and fold it on a bench near by. I grab a hand towel nearby as I eased my way into the hot and comforting water. I can't help but sigh loudly, not only because it was great, but to encourage Hillary to follow. She quickly removes her towel a sprints into the water, but sighs deeply as she realized how wonderful the water was. We ease into the spring until our breasts are covered.

"We're good y'all!" I yell out to the boys.

They all go back to their normal positions before we walked in.

Max was leaning against a boulder on the side of the spring, sitting on a rock. Since he was a bit higher, the water came up to his lower back, but he was wearing a towel around himself to cover up anything that could be visible. Kenny was beside Max, but he was chin deep in the water, blushing and shyly waving at us.

Ray and Tyson were in the middle of the spring, close to the ledge of the water where the barrel of sake is. They were both leaning against a rock, the water coming up to their shoulders. Ray had neatly brought his hair into a tight bun, while Tyson wore a bandana to avoid getting the ends of his hair wet. They were both already drinking sake, giggling away.

Meanwhile, Kai was on the other side of the spring. He was probably sitting on a rock, since the water came up to his pectorals. He had his elbows propped up over the ledge of the water and had a cup a sake floating around him. He had a wet hand towel on his forehead and his eyes were closed as he enjoyed the water.

I instantly swim up to Ray and Tyson to grab myself a cup of sake. Tyson slightly blushes as I reached for a cup, somewhat showing the skin of my collarbone and sternum. I pour myself a drink, revelling in how warm and sweet the sake was.

"Max? Kenny? Do you want some of this?" I ask.

"Sure!" Max answers and Kenny nervously nods his head.

Leaving my cup floating close to Ray and Tyson, I pour 2 cups. I swim over to Max first to give him his drink, then to Kenny, who is blushing even more now that I'm closer to him.

"Hillary?" I ask her, moving my head to the barrel.

"I'm good, thanks." She shyly responds from the steps of the spring, neck deep into the water.

I swim back to my cup to take another sip from it. I then paddle towards Kai's spot, to take a seat on a rock that was a foot or so away from him. Once there, I dunk my head in the spring, loving how the heat felt. I finally use my hand towel as padding as I lean my head against the ledge, enjoying the water that came up to my neck and closing my eyes to relax.

Everyone and everything was quiet for a while. We were all relaxing, drinking and enjoying the heat of the water. We could hear the river flow behind us, complementing the current ambiance.

"Oh my God Tyson! Did you fart?" Max screams out of of the blue after a while.

"No! The water is bubbling!" Tyson defends himself, yet still sinks into the water in shame.

"Tyson, hot springs don't boil. Even if they did, we would be burning alive right now!" Kenny explains.

"Pppffft! Tyson farted!" I giggle out while I still had my eyes close. I hear a small, amused huff from Kai.

"That is so gross Tyson! And were all in here with you!" Hillary scolds him.

"Guys, it smells." Ray unfortunately finds out, as he swims away from Tyson.

We all yell out and laugh at Tyson and he sinks deeper into the water to hide himself and his shame, water coming up to his nose.

We continue to play around, chat and relax for most of the night. We were all very content in the spring, although Hillary and Kenny were still a little uncomfortable with the whole ordeal.

Unsurprisingly, they were the ones to get out of the springs first, excusing themselves to go clean up the room and to go check up on Daichi. We could see them doing just that from the shadows that were projected from the shoji screen door. We saw them swiftly getting ready for as they laid out their futons and close the lights.

"Seeing them going at it, I think it's time for me to go to bed as well." Ray says as he lifts himself out of the water. I turn my gaze to give him some privacy.

Unlike the others, Ray might have done everything before going in the spring, since he only got dressed in his pyjamas, got his futon out and went to bed right then. Daichi seemed all right, hearing him snoring like a beast.

Max swims over to Tyson to continue to drink a bit and chat, mostly whispering so that wouldn't disturb the ones that were sleeping. Kai and I were still in our initial positions, still relaxing with our eyes closed.

I then hear Tyson yawn loudly as Max tries to shush him.

"Why don't you go to bed already? I don't want to clean you losers' puke in the morning." Kai suddenly says rudely, but was a genuine suggestion.

"Jeez Kai… I knew you wanted the water all to yourself, but that's just harsh." Tyson replies in a slurred and drowsy voice.

"He's right, though," Max admits, "We should probably drink some water and sleep the alcohol off."

Tyson grunts as he lifts himself out of the water, but was slightly wobbly on his legs. Max puts an arm around him to help him walk out.

"You coming?" Max asks me over his shoulder.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. It's not everyday that you get to bathe in such amazing water." I tell him with my eyes closed.

"Ok, have a good night!" Max replies back.

I wave at him, knowing that he will see me wave at him even though my eyes were closed.

I hear the shoji door open and close. I then hear Max lay out 2 futons. From the shadow display of the screen, he gives a water bottle from the fridge to Tyson, who gulps it down entirely and goes straight to bed. Max goes to the bathroom before closing the lights. As expected, we could hear Tyson's loud snoring and Max's heavy breathing about a moment later.

Everyone was deeply asleep.

Except for Kai and me.

"You did this on purpose didn't you?" I ask him, already knowing the answer.

However, I was surprised when I felt the water ripple. Before I could open my eyes and react, Kai had already scooped me up in his arms and put my in his lap, with my legs on either side of him.

Our bodies were pressed very closely together; I can feel my breasts against his chest and I know he can feel them too. My bum is rightly settled against his thighs, feeling their hardness. My slightly parted legs did not help with feeling his thighs and legs either

"What's this about?" I ask him even though I had my blush tainted face turned away from him.

He rested once his elbow on the ledge like before and leaned back, my body following the movement and leaning against him as a consequence.

"We have a lot of catching up to do." He simply replies.

"So this is what you call catching up…" I look back at him, teasing him.

It was a mistake looking at him and into his eyes; it had the same intensity as before when we were still drinking at the table, only combined with a faint blush on his face. He was slightly panting, as if thirsty for something. I also saw a slither of desperation in his crimson irises.

In that moment, I grab his head and I dive to give him a kiss on his lips. He grabs me and hugs me closer to him as he sighs into my mouth. I put my arms around his shoulders to give me some leverage as I kiss him as fiercely as I could.

"I missed you so much." I breathe out as I come up for air, keeping my mouth open so that his tongue could slip inside it.

"Me too." He tells me as he invades my mouth with his tongue.

His tongue moves passionately against mine, dancing harmoniously in my mouth. I also return the favour by slipping mine into his, earning a low moan from him. No secret was left while we kissed. Every dip, teeth and crevice was discovered in our amorous exploration of our mouths. We licked and nipped at each other lips and tongues to entice one and other, and it worked.

Breathlessly, Kai moved to my neck to kiss and lick it. I moan out as I reach out to caress his damp hair. I arched my neck forward so that he could do more wonderful things to it. He continues his ministrations as I sigh and moan out.

"You need to be quiet for me if you want us to continue, little one." Kai says after I let out a high-pitched moan when he nibbled my neck.

"Fuck, sorry." I curse to myself. I also cursed about the fact that he called me a _little one_.

"Don't be. I blame the others." He says as he resumes his nibbling.

"T-that's not fair- for t-them-m" I moan out as he continues to torture my neck with his love bites.

He then grabs me in his arms so that he could move to in a shallower part of the water, where we could more of each other's body. He leans against a boulder that lines the hot spring and brings me with him, with my back against his chest. I could feel his hard body against my back, making me moan out loud.

From this position, he could see down my body. Without any hesitation, he grabs my breasts in his hands and massages them gently. My hands come up to his as I cover them with mine so that I could feel him touching me.

I turn my head so that I could kiss his neck. He soon brings his head down so that we could share another fierce kiss. I moan into his mouth as he pinches my nipples. My hands fly to his head so I could pull him closer into our kiss.

Soon enough, his hands were gliding over my body, caressing my skin. Sliding down, he also pets my stomach and my thighs. Finally, he rests his fingers on my inner thighs, just outside my womanhood. It was like he was waiting. He was panting deeply in my ear; I could feel his heartbeat against my neck and his hardness on my lower back.

There was no doubt in my mind, I wanted this and I wanted him. I part my legs as wide as I could, moaning as I feel the cool air on my skin. I grab one of his hands so that his fingers could hover over my folds. Gently, I showed him where to touch me, which are mainly my clitoris and the outside of my womanhood.

He groans as he feels how wet and excited I was.

I gasp when I feel his erection harden.

He starts stroking me and I arch against him and his manhood.

"Tell me what you like." Kai pants out as he works his fingers on me.

"I like you." I blur out without thinking.

He laughs as he bends down to lick my lips, coaxing me to open my mouth so that his tongue could dance with mine once again.

He continues to touch me this way for a while, working me up towards an orgasm. He is very concentrated and is working hard for me to reach it.

"Wait wait," I call out to him right as I was on the edge of my climax, " I want to see you."

I get up without Kai's help and turn around so that I could face him. I pressed my body up to his as close as possible; I press my womanhood to his hardness. We both moan as we made contact with one another.

I wanted to feel him on me; I wanted to make him feel good too.

As I wrap my arms around his shoulders, I start grinding myself on him.

Kai groans and curses as his hand went to cup my bum, helping me move against him and his erection.

His manhood is so hard, yet so soft. I could not get enough of that feeling. I wanted to feel much more of him. The tip would brush perfectly against my clitoris. I felt myself get wetter when I felt his fluids mix with mine.

"You're such a clever girl- so clever." He groans out into my ears while he gropes my bottom as we moved together.

I moan as he praised me, spurring me on; moving harder and faster so that he could feel even better.

Soon enough, I felt that I was at the edge again. Looking at Kai, as he let out moans and groans more frequently; I could see that he was there too.

"I'm almost there, you feel so good." I moan out before I kiss him passionately.

He groans and wraps his arms around me, bringing me even closer to him. Using his strength, he lifts me and moves his hips, thrusting against me as hard and as fast as he could. He seemed determined for us to finish together.

Unable to contain himself, he moans out loudly and orgasms first with his eyes closed and his face scrunched up. His arms tightened around me so much that it almost hurt. I could feel his manhood twitch as he cums.

Seeing him in such a blissed out state is what pushed me over the edge. Electric shocks travelled through my body as I spammed and moan. Never have I seen something so sexy and hot in my entire life

Even though we are both breathing hard and trying to catch our breaths, we made out fiercely and passionately. Our kiss was messy and hot, not caring about teeth and saliva.

We still continued touching and kissing each other as we washed off in the shower. It even went on until we were both in bed with all the others in the same room.

We fell asleep kissing while in each other's embrace.

At this point, we didn't care if anyone saw or found out.

There was only us.


End file.
